"Are we going to stay here forever?"

Recently, my 7 year old daughter and I were involved in an accident. Something in the roadway punctured the fuel tank on our vehicle. I did not realize what had happened until a very kind woman carefully pulled up beside me a couple of blocks later. The woman seemed afraid to try and get my attention but I am so glad she persisted. When I rolled the window down so she could tell me that gasoline was "spraying" from my vehicle, I could smell the gasoline.

I pulled into a nearby parking lot, got us to safety, and started making phone calls. At this point, my daughter has started crying. When I asked her if she was okay, she asked "are we going to stay here forever?". At that moment, I realized that this was her first accident and our first time being alone in a scary situation together.

I frequently talk to my daughter about "putting on her brave arms" and being brave in new situations (riding a roller coaster, rock climbing, introducing yourself to a new friend). Those other new situations were nothing compared to our situation that day. So, with new meaning, we both put on our "brave arms" and enjoyed some tear free time together while we waited for the tow truck and a ride home.

November 1, 2009

Today I ran the annual City of Oaks Half Marathon again. I finished in 2:08:41. 16 seconds slower than my course record.

Gender placement: 72/177 (41%)
Overall placement: 1084/2081 (52%)

I'll be back next year!