Gratitude

Gratitude is a popular thing to be into these days, and I have to admit that I have given lip service to it many times in the recent past.  It’s not that I was insincere when mentioning it, or encouraging others to be grateful. It’s that it has much more meaning for me now, as you will see from this post.

Just about two weeks ago, I had a nasty crash on my bicycle while riding on the beautiful bike path that runs along the river on the west side of Manhattan. It happened so suddenly: I was passing a slow moving bicycle rider when she lost her balance and swerved into me. I couldn’t stop because I was going too fast. She cut me off and I went flying, and before I knew it I was injured.  It took awhile for the ambulance to get there and rush me to the ER.  I was so fortunate that the only serious damage was to my elbow, which will probably take another 4-6 weeks to fully heal.  You see, I wasn’t wearing a helmet and I could have easily been killed, or sustained a serious concussion.

You may be wondering if I have a death wish because I was not wearing a helmet. I do not. Not wearing a helmet is a vestige from my childhood, when I freely road my bike without one, and went on day long bike trips with my friends starting at around age twelve. It is the same reason that I don’t like to wear ski hats while skiing, even if it’s cold:  I believe that encumbrances on the head limit my peripheral vision and make it more likely that an accident may happen.  Believe me, I’m going to be rethinking that theory over the next six weeks while I heal.

Another thing I will be thinking about is what really caused this accident, because I don’t really believe in the idea of random accidents. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I have already received some important feedback about why this incident happened to me at that very time. Very interesting stuff to ponder and absorb,  and very humbling too.

And the one thing I can definitely take away from this experience is gratitude. I am so grateful to be alive and healing and on this planet. I hope this blog post finds all of you healthy, mindful, and grateful for all the blessings around.