Life's Journey

Alas! How swift the moments fly!
How flash the years along!
Scarce here, yet gone already by,
the burden of a song.


It has been said that life comes down to a few great moments! Normally the key points of our lives pass uneventfully, leaving us to chase at shadows. Usually we are left to question and evaluate the ebb and flow, the surges and phases of our existence. The times we felt lost. Times of love, sorrow, rebirth and injury! Events that made time stand on end. Events that made a minute seem like an hour and an hour seems like a week.

In ancient times, Plato wrote, "An unexamined life is not worth living." I sometimes reflect upon the moments of my life that have come together brick by brick, layer by layer, to shape the pyramid of my character. Perhaps the most emotionally charged moments for most of us come with the passing of important people in our lives, or the birth of a child, or when the seeds of love are sown, only to vanish like the morning dew into that most magical of all places – the heart.

Other important moments are more perplexing! I often recall feeling the presence of my Guardian Angel when I was a little boy. Recently, my Guardian Angel came back to visit me!

Since time will eventually grind the sum total of our lives to dust, it is important that we identify and cherish the moments that define our personal existence. Moments like the ones I just mentioned! Life’s journey is a short one; if we don't stop and cherish the good things – we will miss them. We must comb through the mundane and rudimentary elements of our daily routines to unearth the hidden jewels that lie beneath the surface. Perhaps these memories are the only jewels we will have at the end of the day. We must remember “always” that the future is merely a set of probabilities based on what we do at any given point in time – the sum of our thoughts, of our habits, our goals, our actions, our beliefs, our desires...

November 1st began as any other uneventful day for me! The usual routine of checking out of another hotel, throwing my luggage in the backseat of the car and hitting the highway for another day on the road had become as habitual as grabbing lunch at the Boardwalk Café’ in Stephenville or watching the evening news at home. In a split second, however, the solid grip of rubber on asphalt gave way to the roller coaster feeling of weightlessness as my car hit black ice and began to incessantly spin to an uncharted destination in a ravine on the lonely Bay d’Espoir Highway! My routine had ended!

After spinning uncontrollably, and flipping more times than I care to remember, I landed upside down with my head partially submerged in black muddy water. Ironically, the sheer joy of being alive and physically mobile presented a mysterious sense of euphoria in my mind. Luckily, the sensation prohibited me from panicking and gave me time to reflect on a lifetime of memories. It was truly a mystifying experience that I may never be able to explain. I was cold, and I was wet, and I was petrified out of my wits, but my will to stick around for a few more years gave me the strength and ingenuity to claw my way out of my predicament.

Being completely submerged in black muddy water with an air pocket that kept getting smaller by the second was absolutely horrific and admittedly terrifying. Releasing my seatbelt provided the option for me to blindlessly flop around until I saw a small shimmering light on the passenger side of the cabin. I repeatedly kicked at the window and luckily punctured a hole large enough to crawl through. With a final gasp I filled my lungs with the last bit of air in the crumpled cabin, closed my eyes, ducked beneath the freezing muddy water and hoped for the best. At that moment I can remember thinking about others special people that have made my life what it is – people that matter so much and they gave me strength enough, in fact, that I could have carried the bloody car to Grand Falls on my back if I had to.

Interestingly, and I cannot explain this, but the few seconds that it took for the car to spin several times on the icy road before graduating to missile status, also allowed me time to reflect. So many memories went through my mind as I bounced from the road... to the shoulder... to the rocks... to the water.

Ironically, that which almost drowned me... may well have been my saving grace! The final landing was incredibly smooth! The seconds it took to arrive at the final destination seemed like an eternity and was as eerie and surreal as traveling back to the future. It was an unbelievable experience not one that I would recommend to others! Not one that I would voluntarily endorse on a slow day!

I finally crawled up the embankment to the highway and paced frantically as I tried to keep warm. I fumbled with my cell phone only to discover that it had not survived the crash. In time a young family came by and slid past me as they tried to stop. I can only imagine the sheer horror on their faces as they turned the corner and saw me standing helplessly on the side of the road. I handed them my business card, apologized for my decrepit state, and mumbled something about having had better hair days. My lame attempt at being humorous!

They helped me into their car, wiped the mud and slime from my face and eyes and turned the heaters on turbo. I was coherent all the way to the hospital, with a sense of humor that suggested I had won that nights lotto jackpot in advance. In fact, it was only later that it occurred to me that I had won a great deal more.

It has been said that life comes down to a few great moments! Normally the key points of our lives pass uneventfully, leaving us to chase at shadows. Usually we are left to question and evaluate the ebb and flow, the surges and phases of our existence. The times we felt lost. Times of love, sorrow, rebirth and injury! Events that made time stand on end. Events that made a minute seem like an hour and an hour seems like a week. Carpe Diem!


See childhood, youth and manhood pass
And age with furrowed brow,
Time was – Time shall be – drain the glass,
But where in time is now?

John Quincy Adams,
"The Hour Glass”