Lucky to be alive

Sometimes, personal injury clients walk into our office with one thing on their mind: how lucky they are to be alive.

Several years ago, that was the case with one of the clients of Anderson Law who I’ll call “Jack”. He was driving along State Route 243 between the Tri-Cities and Ellensburg, near the town of Mattawa, when a semi-truck driver crossed the center line and sideswiped his car, nearly causing a head-on collision.

The side of Jack’s SUV was sliced off in the impact, and he was sent careening off the road. Airbags deployed and helped save his life. The semi truck lost its trailer and left it jutting into the the road, creating danger for oncoming vehicles. Fortunately, no one else was hurt.

Jack faced a reality that too often we don’t take time to recognize in our own lives: we are lucky to be alive. We may not have the stark reminder of screeching tires, burning rubber, or violent explosions, but we can still look around and wonder how it is we are still alive to see another day.

This type of wonder consumes me. Here we are, in the middle of a vast universe on the tiny speck of blue we call Earth, seemingly against all odds. For better or worse, through good and bad, we keep moving forward and remarkably few of us are ready to call it quits.

No, we want to live. We want to enjoy family, friends, and the beauty of the world around us. We want to overcome obstacles, beat the odds, and see what the future has in store. That seems to be the essence of life on earth. No matter what difficulties we face, no matter the demons that challenge us, we don’t give up.

I admit, I am biased: my personality type enjoys a good challenge more than average. But even the nicest of people, the “mediator” type, aren’t truly interested in giving up when the going gets tough.

Jack, like most of my clients, was a survivor. He was gritty, tough, and had an eye toward the future. If an out-of-control semi truck didn’t take him out, there’s nothing that would. At least not in his mind. Based on what I’ve seen lately, I’m betting the same is true for you.