I think about that day a lot.
I was 8. My dad was driving my little brother and I to school. It was foggy and we couldn’t see more than five feet in front of the truck. We came to an intersection with a major highway near where we lived.
I still feel responsible.
Because, my dad asked us:
“Can you guys see anything?”
I said, “No.”
And, he took off across the highway. She was speeding. 65 mph in a 55. She slammed into the side of our S-10 just behind the passenger door where I was sitting… no seatbelt. The impact launched us 30 feet in the air and spun the truck 180 degrees.
We slammed into a telephone pole…
Just in front of the passenger door.
Had either impact been two inches closer to the door…
I’d have died instantly.
But, that’s not what I think about or feel guilty about. It was my dad. When we hit the ground, we were all thrown from the truck. He landed awkwardly and chipped part of his spinal cord. He’s been a paraplegic ever since.
Since moving down closer to my mom and him…
I see him every day.
The struggle just to get out of bed.
Going the bathroom.
Eating.
It’s all an excruciating amount of work.
When I was a kid, I used to think that if I were him, I’d have handled it better. I wouldn’t have “checked out”. I’d have worked my way back to “normal”. I’d have taken care of my kids and my wife.
God, what an arrogant S.O.B. I was.
Next year, I’ll be the same age he was when it happened.
It seems obvious now that I have no idea how I’d handle a situation like that.
But, watching all this taught me something…
Something that drives a lot of the choices I make.
Life can turn in a split-second.
One day, you’ve got it all figured out. The next it all comes crashing down. You can never be prepared enough. That’s why I’m a web developer. It’s why I freelance and run my own business. It’s why I moved to Missouri.
On and on.
I’ll be damned if my kids suffer like I did… no matter what happens.
Point is…
Yes, it’s Monday. Yes, Mondays suck. Yes, it can be easy to just “take a day” and phone it in. Well, let me be your kick in the a!@. Tomorrow ain’t given. It can all go away in a flash. Are you prepared?
Is your life everything you wanted it to be?
Could you look back now without regrets?
If not, suck it up there buttercup.
Don’t fall into the easy “It’s Monday” excuse.
Be better than everybody else.
And, get to crackin’.
You can’t control what the future will bring your way…
But, you CAN control what you do now to be ready for anything.
And, of course, if you want an assist web development-wise, I’ve got a whole curriculum of courses for you to get crackin’ on. HTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL OOP, freelancing and more.
You can get access to it for nothing over on SkillShare.
Details on that here: https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/johnmorris
So, no excuses bucko!
Time to make it happen.
Later,
John
