A Pictures Worth a Thousands Words

Sometimes things or events happen in your life that are so dramatic or traumatic that they are forever etched in your memory. I have had a lot of those moments, being shot at, stabbed, even electrocuted. In each of those cases it was all the result of me and my foolishness that led to those events, so most times when I recall them, even though there was some pain involved, I can actually laugh when I think about how stupid I was back then. There is one event that has marked and shaped my life in such a way that I have yet to come to that point where I can laugh about it without wincing.

It happened in 1992, I was still in the military, stationed at the Presidio of San Francisco at the time. I was on my way home from work. For weeks I had been riding my bike to and from work. I was trying to get in shape for an upcoming physical fitness test. I was coming up for promotion and I wanted to do my best. I had also been working a lot of long hours and the week prior, I had promised my oldest daughter "Little" that I would take some time off and take her to the beach. On this particular day I had gotten off work early and was in a pretty good mood. I even decided to play it safe and ride on the sidewalk instead of the middle of the road as I usually did. It was a decision that I later regretted!

I pushed myself for the first few miles. I began to slow down as I was approaching a sharp turn. Just as I was about to take the corner, a car came speeding toward me! Before I could react the driver hit me, knocked me back and then ran over me leaving me for dead on the side of the road. It happened so fast and then the lights went out.

For a moment I thought I was at home, and that I had fallen asleep on the couch. (which I had been doing a lot since I was working double shifts and coming in from work so tired.) I kept telling myself I was supposed to take Little to the Beach and I really did not want to disappoint her. Not wanting to let my daughter or my wife down, I kept trying to wake myself up. I did not realize that I was fighting for my life.