Guardian Angel

      I remember one of the first times I saved someone’s life. I was just a kid then and I didn’t have the experience that I have now. Although, one never really gets used to that sort of thing.

It was a quiet Saturday night and my ex and I had decided to stay in tonight and have a relaxing movie night. We were all settled in nestled on our couch watching the latest action flick when all of the sudden a loud screech followed by a deafening BOOM sounded from outside. It was almost as if the sound came from inside our place it was so loud. I sprang up threw on my shoes, swung open the front door and bounded outside not even thinking twice. “Where are you going? That didn’t sound safe.” She said as I was running towards the sound of the boom. “ I gotta see if everything is okay!” I shouted back. We lived in an apartment complex on the corner of a street just outside of a particularly “bad” area of the town. Our place was just far enough to provide solace from the craziness of the city, but every now and then some of the action would spill over into our part. Tonight was one of those times.

     I leapt over the wall of our apartment complex with ease just in time to witness the perpetrator in what I could now see was a hit-and-run drive away. The car fleeing the scene as hastily as it could considering the damage it had sustained was leaking fluid all over the asphalt that would later provide a trail for the police leading them straight to the offender. I noted the make and model of escaping vehicle and quickly turned my attention to the other car. It was about midnight and luckily there weren’t many people on the road, which made it safer for me to get to the car. It was an eighties era Honda Civic and was wrapped around a light pole twisted and mangled. Smoke was pouring from the engine block and the ground was covered in coolant and gasoline. I grew closer to the vehicle and out of the corner of my eye I noticed another guy fast approaching. “He must have heard the crash too.” I thought to myself.  We stopped in front of the driver side door which was bent horribly out of shape. “Ey man there’s fluid everywhere.” The other guy said pointing at the ground. “Yeah we need to get him out of there.” I replied. The driver was starting to come to. His airbag had not deployed and he had been knocked out upon impact. We grabbed the door and pried it open. I knew that in any other automobile accident you weren’t supposed to remove them from the vehicle because they might have a neck or back injury that required stabilization before you moved them. However, in this situation it was necessary because of the billowing smoke pouring from the engine block and the extremely flammable fluids spewing from the wreckage.

       Bracing his head and neck we gently pulled him from the wreckage and set him down on the curb about 50 feet away. Sirens rang in the distance. Someone must have called 911. A police cruiser screeched to a halt in front of me and I told him to follow the trail from the leaky car to find the other person involved. Shortly three more squad cars an ambulance and a fire truck pulled up to the scene shortly after the first car sped off. The medics shooed us away and began to assess the driver of the mangled car. Right before the firefighters doused the car with water tiny flames began to shoot up from under the car. We had pulled the guy out just in time.

     After some questioning from the police I was free to return to my movie night. The next week at work the mother of the driver of Honda approached me with a news paper clipping in her hand. “Is this you?”

“Yes ma’am that’s me” Apparently she had found out who I was from the police and had come into my work to thank me for saving her son’s life. It turns out he suffered a lot of internal damage but was going to be okay. The driver of the other car was found and arrested that night too. She hugged me and burst into tears. I’ll never forget that feeling. I wasn’t looking for recognition for what I did but knowing that I had saved someone’s life and quite possibly changed the course of history for that family felt good. It felt beyond good. It was then that I knew, that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. 

This is NOT a Love Letter

     I’m not perfect and this is not a love letter. I’m not perfect I know. I don’t have the biggest muscles and I don’t have the nicest car. I don’t have the most money or even the most confidence. I am completely and simply human. I experience real emotions and sometimes they even get the best of me. I can’t help that I am not perfect. I don’t always make the best decisions and I am random and spontaneous, and a bit reckless at times. I tend to follow my heart and believe in living life with the utmost of passion. No, I am not perfect and I can’t promise that I will ever be, and for that I apologize. However, I can promise you that I will never stop loving you. It’s because I don’t have the biggest muscles that shopping for clothes for me won’t be a pain. I don’t have the most money so you won’t have to worry about it getting to my head. Even though I’m not rich, I am very good with my hands and I could build you a house, with a backyard for the stray dogs decide that this is their home now, a wine cellar and of course a hot-tub.  No, I don’t always make the best decisions, but that doesn’t mean that they are bad decisions! Furthermore, it just means that there will never be a dull moment! I’m random and spontaneous, so you’re sure to be surprised with gifts and presents often. Now, you may not always like or want them, and I may not remember where I got some of them but it’s the thought that counts. Right? I am not perfect and I swear this is not a love letter. This is my passion for life and love getting the best of me. This is me thinking about you. This is the fire and spark that I feel when I think of your silly smile, and just when I start to feel good about myself I think about you… Then suddenly I am human again; which is a good thing because this would be awkward if I wasn’t. Could you just imagine… I apologize, I got sidetracked again. I know it appears as if I’m everywhere, all over the place, and scattered, but when I am with you I am exactly where I need to be. I am exactly where I want to be. I hope maybe you feel that way too. Maybe you feel like I do, and maybe it’s true for you too. We aren’t perfect in our own worlds, but that’s okay because we don’t need to be perfect out there in the world. We are perfect together in ours. I hope this all makes sense to you. I’m sorry if it doesn’t, I was just trying to write you the perfect love letter…

Writer's Blocked: Episode 4

And just like that a perfect afternoon was ruined. Mike wormed his way into the booth right next to Alice. He put his arm around her and gave her a huge and very unnecessary squeeze. She looked annoyed and tried to shrug him off. “Didn’t you already eat lunch today Mike?” Craig said squirming in the booth trying to make more room. “I had a few bagels earlier yes.” Mike said a little embarrassed. “You had 6! You had 6 bagels right before we left!” Craig shouted, Mike was starting to pout, “That is absolutely NOT true-I only had 2.”

“We all saw you Mike. You were covered in cream cheese, and singing Lady Gaga with your mouth full of asiago crumbs!”

“Okay guys, If Mike wants to have another lunch let’s just let him, as long as he pays for everyone else too.” I said hoping to diffuse the tension between Craig and Mike, and also get a little something out of it. “You got it! Thanks Christian!” Mike said gleefully. He then proceeded to stuff a handful of chips into his mouth.  I tried not to gag. “So this is great news right?” said Joe. He was referring to our show getting picked up for the season. We had all been on edge since the premier because we weren’t sure if the Network’s idea to bring Phil Armstrong back to television was the right choice. Phil had been a legend in television almost 30 years ago. He was the golden boy of comedy, getting his start on the very famous very funny television show News Soup. News Soup was one of the longest running sitcoms to date, and after 15 very successful seasons it finally ended in 1994. “Hell yeah, I never thought that we would make it past the pilot. Especially considering how little work we actually do.”

“Whoa Vince, back it up. I happen to work really hard. I’m pretty much the backbone of this operation. “Craig retorted. “ What?” I have to say something. “No you aren’t! Craig, every time we need you we can’t find you!”

“That’s a lie! That’s because I happen to have very important things to do.”

“Everyone knows it's because you’re sleeping under your desk Craig.”

“I have a very temperamental cat! I don’t get a lot of sleep at night!” Craig cries.

“What? What does- how does that even make sense?”

Mike has signaled our waiter for another round of drinks. Alice decides to chime in. “ Vince is always reading his little comic books at his cubicle.”

“They aren’t comics they are graphic novels.” Vince corrects her. The shots come to the table and we each eagerly grab one and quickly slam it back. “I’m pretty sure they are comics.” Says Alice as she reaches for more chips. “Nerd!” yells Mike. He looks around the room confused as if no one at the table had an idea who yelled that.  Everyone stops eating. We all look at Mike. He looks back at us like a sad cow next in line to be slaughtered. Before the onslaught of insults can begin, Vince checks his watch and shouts “Crap! We gotta get back to the office!” Mike lets out a deep sigh of relief. He is spared for now. One by one we stumble out of the booth and make our way out of the restaurant. “See ya tomorrow guys!” Yells Jake, as we are leaving. We seriously have to find a new place to go…

Have a Great Day

All it takes is a smile, a nod, or a simple hello. The simplest of actions can brighten any person's day. Think of how many times you have had a bad day, or had been upset at something and it seemed to ruin your mood. You probably went through the whole day seconds from ripping someone's head off, or completely losing it. Now think about how you felt when the sales lady smiled at you, or when the barista greeted you with a friendly hello and a smile. Your mood probably changed drastically after that huh? Unbeknownst to you, the sales lady could have stepped in a hug pile of dog mess earlier that morning as she rushed to work. The barista might have gotten burned on some hot coffee from the early morning rush of commuters all anxious for their java fix. They still took the time to smile and greet you in a kind and friendly manner, despite whatever may have been going on with them.
Kindness and courtesy aren't only for people in customer service. They should be instilled and practiced by everyone. Whether you are the customer, or the employee, the stranger or a close friend, a little kindness goes a long way. So, get out there and spread the warmth, because who knows, you may be the difference between someone having a horrible day or a great one.