CRASH

Right beside my bathroom mirror there are 3 windows that overlook Main street. Each morning I enjoy opening the curtains and glancing out at the busy street while I get ready (after I'm dressed!) This morning as I began my daily rituals, I noticed it was quieter than usual since it is a holiday. Somewhere between putting on moisturizer and eyeliner, I noticed a shiny, 3-series silver BMW drive by and then went back to applying my mascara without giving it a second thought (except that it was a really nice car). Less than a minute later, I heard a scary sequence of sounds...

Screeching tires.

A woman's blood curdling scream.

A loud, gunshot-like bang. Which was quickly followed by shattering glass.

The scream is what bothered me the most (I can still hear it in my head so clearly). I didn't have any windows open, it was just that loud.

I was a bit afraid to look out the window for fear of what I would see, but I had to look. That silver BMW that I had noticed moments earlier had been struck by a white pick-up. It looked like the BMW was trying to do a u-turn and didn't notice the pick-up coming and was struck on the driver's door. Thankfully, no one was hurt and there were already about 4 people coming out to help and on their cell phones. I understood now why that lady was screaming -- she must have looked up and saw that pick-up driving straight for her! I'd scream too. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I stayed inside since there were already so many people outside helping and it was clear no one was injured. It did get me thinking though long after the police had left and the broken glass was swept away.

One thing it reminded me of was the end of this quote from the film, Crash:

"It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something."

All those people that stood outside my house for about 45 minutes never would have taken the time to really acknowledge each other had those 2 cars not crashed into each other. It's just crazy how fast a day can change. I'm sure both of those people were just out running an errand or trying to enjoy their day off and then CRASH their day is completely altered.

It reminded me of two things I want to be more intentional about...

1. Living in the moment.
2. Being more aware of the people around me and taking time to know them.

I don't want it to take a crash to wake me up.