Thursday Three

Three reasons I believe I am fortunate to be alive:

1. Rollerblading became an interest to me as a teenager. I decided to try them out on the circle in front of my house. I was doing well. I wore a helmet and the elbow/knee/wrist guards to be safe. In this case I am not sure I defied death or major bodily harm - but who knows really. I decided to venture down the hill my family lived atop. This hill was a little steep. I was not yet positive I knew how to stop. The wheels began to spin faster and faster and I started to try the breaks. The breaks didn't work on steep hills I found rather quickly. The bottom of this hilly street reaches an intersection. Worry set in that a car would be rushing along the street I was about to skate into. I thought of ditching it just in case but for some reason my body went stiff. My mind didn't run through the possibility a truck would come bolting around the corner and that is exactly what happened. Lucky for the knee guards, I spun to the side to avoid a head on and landed on my knees. My hands latched on the grill of the truck, it came to a stop the same time I did. The truck driver looked absolutely furious. Shock stricken I clunked to the side of the road and he drove on. Nice of him to ask if I was OK, right? No - he just drove off. Glad I made it through that one.

2. Now I am one for a fun adventure and as a young adult I loved to hike. College days in Arizona were a blast. I loved to hop a ride to whatever fun activity came up. At one point, a group of friends decided to climb Bell Rock in Sedona, Arizona. Christa was nice enough to drive me there from Flagstaff where we both attended college but before we arrived, we grabbed a bite to eat so we were behind the group. When we got to Bell Rock, Christa and I ventured off together and began the ascension. We talked as we climbed and didn't think to assess where the trail was and as we reached about three quarters of the way up, we came to a steep face on the rock and decided maybe we should go around it. When we looked down and back, we found we would not be able to make it down anywhere to go around. We sat for about a half an hour waiting for someone to come along. We started to worry night would fall and we would be sitting on this rock still. The group we were supposed to meet took off before us so we weren't sure they knew we were even there. Dusk fell on the rock - a very beautiful sight mind you. We decided to pray for help and safety. After prayer, we both concluded it would be important to move on somehow. We agreed to climb across the face of the rock to get to the other side. This was a very steep face but we didn't want to be stuck through the night in the cold desert alone. Obviously we made it to the other side of the 10 foot face (we both thought it would be easier if we did not look down). It was like rock climbing without the ropes and safety gear. I felt so relieved as we both landed on the parallel mound of rocks that would lead us up and back down to the parking area. We reached the bottom, drank some mmmm hot water that was sitting in the car of the now empty parking area and started back to Flagstaff. On the way back, Christa told me she has a great fear of heights. It is a wonder how we made it back safely, but I know the Lord helped us. What was she doing climbing up that steep rock - crazy girl? It must have been to save my sorry butt!

3. When I was first learning to drive in the snow and on icy roads, an enormous amount of fog happened upon the highway here in Alaska. Late for work, I ignored the caution in my heart and kept the pedal to the metal. The car zoomed along with no harm for awhile. As I came to a bridge that sits over a big river, icy patches caught my wheels and the car began to spin in the dense gray carpet of fog. I am not sure how many rotations the car spun but I was sure I would hit the rail and go straight down into the ravine splashing in the river below. Obviously I was scared and could think of nothing but how my life had really just began and now it could so easily end. Worse matters became apparent, however, when I realized there had already been an accident on the highway right in front of where the car finally stopped its spinning and came to a halt. The worst part being a police officer was standing right before me with wide eyes and a look of shock to his face. In this case, I am glad to be alive but forever happier I did not kill or harm that officer. FYI the officer signaled me to take off and move on. Whew.

These three adventures in a fortunate life are the first three of many known brushes with death or harm I thought of. More come to mind but the point I am thinking is how many more opportunities came across my life I didn't realize? Exactly how fortunate am I to be here today and continue my quest for perfection? For some reason we all leave this Earth at different points. Some still in the womb of our mother and some over a century old. Thinking back to Sunday's talks from conference, I keep going back to the point President Monson made. Joy. Keep joy in your life and the journey will be more rewarding. Don't put off tomorrow what I can do today that will bring relief, happiness and content to my life. Peace be with you and yours and may your journey be full of joy.