Split Second Decisions

Have you ever made a split second decision only to realize that that decision may have saved your life or prevented you from serious pain and suffering? It didn’t seem like a big deal until you thought about it, but then you realize that that little voice saved your life. It happened to me.

I was out for my morning run, as part of my everyday routine. I run the same 2.5 miles 6 days out of a seven day week. Nothing was out of the ordinary this morning as I was on my way back to my apartment. I had just crossed a major street safely (well, it was about 6:30 in the morning so there really wasn’t very much traffic). I was continuing on my journey when I saw a woman get into her car and start it up. I was only a couple of feet away from her parking spot when that little voice in my head said, “Stop!” I don’t know why, but I listened. There wasn’t enough time to talk myself into ignoring the voice and continuing when the woman backed out without looking. She never saw me and she didn’t know I was there until she was completely pulled out into the street facing the opposite direction of which I had originally been running. I just stood there and watched it all happen with horror deep inside thinking, “I can’t believe that she never looked.” The look on her face was one of complete shock and panic. She stopped the car; put her left hand up to her mouth as it was opened wide and her eyes became huge brown pools. She had realized what she had done; she waved to me, and had mouthed, “I’m so sorry!” It was as if she was desperately begging me for my forgiveness. I waved her on and nodded my head, trying to communicate that everything was okay and that I didn’t blame her. We both continued on our way. As I was finishing my run, I had plenty of time to think about what happened.

This all happened in just a few seconds, small moments that when pieced together could have resulted in a huge impact upon both of our lives. Had I kept going, had that voice not instructed me to stop, she would have hit me. Even at such a small speed, I would have fractured my leg and ended up in the hospital. While this type of injury may seem somewhat benign, you have to understand my position right now. I can’t afford any type of injury. I have my national board exam coming up in 6 days! I need to study, practice, and build stamina for the 2 day 16 hour exam. Imagine sitting for that long of a period of time with a broken leg and in pain trying to concentrate on multiple choice questions looking for the best answer! This most certainly would have affected my score! What about the impact on the woman that was driving the car? Guess whose medical bills she would have to pay? Without a doubt, the cost of her insurance would increase as well. Let us not forget that she would have to live with the guilt of injuring me for the rest of her life. This type of guilt isn’t extinguished easily, especially with the bills as a constant reminder. It was just a few seconds. A few seconds that would have changed both our lives. An impact that was prevented by a decision that was made in a minute fraction of that time period.

It’s these moments in time that make me believe in guardian angels. Mine was with me today and I thank him.

June 1, 2005