We Already Know the Answer

I know a young woman who was minding her own business, going about her day, when the actions of fools ruined that day for her. It's possible they've ruined the next month for her as well. K was driving to work. Behind her, as I'm told, two boys were in a race, speeding up fast behind her. One of them misjudged the distance and clipped her car, sending it airborne into telephone pole, severely injuring her.

She'll survive. The injuries she sustained will take some time to heal though. Knowing her age, her disposition, I am confident she'll make it. She has strength but I'm sure she would rather forgo this test in tenacity. Who would want to prove their grit this way? She never asked for this. She has nothing to prove in my estimation.

When I found out she was hurt, and badly, my first reaction was “Jesus Christ...she's way too young, to young to leave us.” I was then told she'd make it so that threat was off. Once I heard about the details of the crash, I then started thinking about how no matter how carefully you plan your life, make well thought out, prudent decisions, something out of nowhere can come and smash that all up. It's sort of like that freak meteor that blew up over that Russian town, splattering people with blown out window pane shards.

“No Fair!” I'd shout as a six year old, over some injustice, only to be told to shut up because something or someone with more power lorded it over me. Damn right it's no fair. K didn't deserve this nor did those in Russia. But it happened anyway.

Life can say, ”We'll tell you what's fair and that's THAT.

For me, the trick here is to realize there's no safety really. You can't know the future in detail nor plan for it in particular. You can sort of generalize about it, but that's as deep as you can look into a crystal ball. The specifics are indistinct. So live as you wish since it all can be taken away in an instant.

We live minute to minute. We get our information about our world right then and there and then we can adjust. If we're lucky, we get a heads up, but it's rare. Take it as it comes, they say. But you and I can't “take it as it comes” when we're served shit on a platter. We hate it. I suppose we could take that annoyance, convert it into motivation to make the best of a bad situation.

Perhaps that's the best answer we have.

K will overcome this. She has the benefit of youth and prior experience of dealing with BS. She won't enjoy the struggle. Nor would I. But she, you and I know the only answer is to “go forward.” You know of the Phoenix bird myth? You see it played out countless times in real life. A mythical bird that is reborn after being destroyed by fire, again and again and again. The ashes coalesce to give rise to a new bird.

K is a Phoenix. So are we all. It's an easy choice. We've practiced this since we've been kids.