Sunday, May 8, 2016

I saw a man die today....

Mother's Day 2016 started off just fine. I was going on a road trip to the lovely...and cool...Mt. Lemmon. At 10,000 feet, it is a lot cooler than the valley...by about 30 degrees.

As I headed out of town I saw a man in an older pick up truck ACCELERATE into a concrete wall. Before he did, he crossed over ALL lanes of traffic, left to right from the HOV lane to an exit ramp. I thought he may have missed his exit and made the stupid move to cross all lines to get off the interstate.

Instead, once he crossed over all lanes, he made a 90-degree angle turn to his left (and back into the traffic), gunned his car and slammed nearly head-on into the concrete wall that separates the north and south bound lanes. Because his vehicle was older, it didn't have air bags. Pieces of the truck flew across the road, and one of his hub caps nearly hit my car.

Because I was immediately behind him, I wasn't able to stop.  However, I saw that others did stop, so I called 911, and was told that this was the first call about the crash.

I was so shaken by this event that I thought that I should just go back home. How can I have a decent road trip when this man's life is over?  "Awful" doesn't describe it.... I did go on to Mt. Lemmon, all the while replaying the earlier scene.

Unlike me, I took very few photos today...way fewer than normal.





















As I look at the images, I am crazy disappointed. I see so many mistakes. Obviously, I was terribly distracted. But that is okay. I remind myself that photography is also therapy.



Photography helps me cope.


4 comments:

  1. Everyone on this planet is fighting some kind of battle. We can't possibly know what they are. Much better that we don't. Just very unfortunate that you had to witness Him loosing his. Photography is therapy, release, enjoyment, happiness, and expression, and so much more. Just don't let anything dampen your lovely spirit. I'm sure that even though you're not happy with the results, you didn't head back home and spend the rest of the day replaying that vision in your head !! Like a song that gets stuck in your head. The only way to get rid of it,,, play another song !! Same with negative thoughts,,, Happy thoughts, Peter Pan !!!

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  2. Agreeing with Ray. I am glad you stayed the course, even though. Photography has been the best therapy for me through the last years. Sometimes it is the only thing I can do. It may not meet your expectations, but you did it. Victory.

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  3. That is profoundly shocking and upsetting, Mimi. I hope the man that died found the rest he sought, and that your distress will be alleviated by that knowledge.

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  4. Thankful for your safety . Now for the heart and mind to find peace.
    Your photos were very nice for us to see. Blessings through out the rest of the week.
    \

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