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Monday Morning Wake-Up Call
(by Gary Godfrey - June 08, 2009)
It was a beautiful day on Monday, June 8th.
A reason to remain a resident of Ohio. The weather was perfect. Warm, but not too hot. A cool breeze, that made the morning feel like an earthly air conditioner. A great weekend had passed, and I was on my way to work around 9:00 a.m.
I was emerged in the Laura Ingraham talk show, when I noticed a highway patrolman in the West bound lane of US 36. As I gazed quickly into my rear view mirror, he made a complete U-turn -- and the red and blue lights went flashing.
“Was I speeding?” I questioned my self, as I looked down at the speedometer.
“Good morning sir. May I see your drivers license and proof of insurance,” he asked politely.
As I was fumbling in my glove compartment he said, “Is there any reason why you weren’t wearing your seat belt?”
“I just made the turn on the highway,” I contended.
“You were exceeding the 55 MPH limit. I’m not going to give you a speeding ticket, just a warning. However, I am going to give you a seat belt violation,” he elaborated.
“Thank goodness. How stupid can you be?” I thought to myself. And the gray clouds, immediately blocked the sun.
Don’t you just hate it, when things like this happens? As I stared at the blue ticket, I could only register this incident as a $99.00 lesson. When am I ever going to learn to fasten my seat belt before stepping on the gas pedal?
A church friend and brother in Christ, Kent Hess, was in an auto accident last week. He was turning on Forrest Hill road, going to work (just like I was doing) when a car hit him on the driver’s side. When I called to find out how he was doing, he told me that he was bruised up -- but his seat belt saved him from serious injuries. When he realized what had happened, he was dangling from his seat belt, with his car on it’s roof.
That story should have been enough for me to buckle up.
“A lot of the people who keep a gun at home for safety are the same ones who refuse to wear a seat belt” George Carlin
“Superman don't need no seat belt.
Muhammad Ali
“He's too nervous to kill himself. He wears his seat belt in a drive-in movie.”
Neil Simon
This week’s bottom line: If you’re ever on an airplane, and the captain says these words. Beware! “Folks, we have reached our cruising altitude now, so I am going to switch the seat belt sign off. Feel free to move about as you wish, but please stay inside the plane till we land... it's a bit cold outside, and if you walk on the wings it affects the flight pattern.”
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