Nothing Important Happened Today

I haven’t written in my blog for a while, not because I didn't want to but because I couldn't find the right time. A lot of things have happened in the past 3 months, which I would not say were “life-changing” but most certainly did occupy most of my time and mind. Experiences which have not necessarily always ended in a climax but which have made the transition of this time more interesting. Friends getting married, trips to old and new places, being introduced to new people, catching up with old friends and family, near-to life-changing attempts and decisions, meeting semi-famous and famous people, being beamed up in a Star Trek transporter, surviving a zombie apocalypse and a couple of minor health problems, just to name a few. Perhaps the most important of all though was witnessing a tragic car crash which occurred last night at my neighbourhood.

The circumstances of the accident are still uncertain but it seems that the driver lost control of the car somehow, drove off on the pavement and hit two pedestrians before crashing onto a wall. The scene was like something taken out of a movie. The emotions were all over the place. One of the two women died on site, whilst the other one is hospitalised in a critical condition. The driver survived the crush but I cannot imagine the pain he is going through, having to live with this event haunting him for the rest of his life. In a matter of a few seconds, the lives of three people and those of their families and friends have been altered forever. What sort of twisted unfortunate series of events placed those two women in the path of that car? One minute they are walking down the street, heading for a night out or a night in, thinking about the meal they are going to prepare or the drink they just had, rushing to meet someone loved or simply going home to feed their pet, but fate had different plans for them. Even the slightest attempt to understand, comprehend, explain this tragic loss of life is futile.

What perhaps perplexed me the most was the inability of most of us, the eyewitnesses, to act or help in any way. The car door was jammed; it took the firemen almost an hour to get the driver out. One woman was dead and the other injured; the paramedics were doing their best. But what was done, was done. I felt as useless as a cross screwdriver used to tight a slot screw. No-one could take that crash away. No-one could make time stop or turn it back. No-one could give life back. And no-one will ever be able to ease the pain of the dead woman’s loved ones. She is gone, off to a world which can only be better than this one. The tragedy remains with those left behind.

So where does this leave us? Do I close this entry with a god-send remark about how my life will never be the same or something along the lines of “carpe diem”? Do I tell you to pick up the phone and call all of your family members and friends, patch things up with those you are upset and hug random strangers in the street? Do I make a life-altering decision, make a 180-degree turn and stun everyone with my amazing new lifestyle and abilities? No, none of that will happen. Besides the wrecked wall, shattered glass, some blood stains and a few flowers, nothing is left to mirror the events that unfolded last night. The bright sun reminded nothing of the dark, cold and gloomy last night. All the police and ambulance cars are gone, the witnesses walked back inside their houses and the police officers, firemen and paramedics moved on to another scene. People say that “shit happens” and we have to accept it. But can we?