I'm going to be the first to admit, I usually don't read things to completion, and very VERY rarely do I go back and read things twice - but this Paul Duchene really gave my eyes a workout this week in his Weekly piece. He gave my eyes a workout reading AND welling up with tears. It's odd how things happen sometimes, and how sometimes life lines up in a straight line with all arrows pointing in one direction. I just so happened to be talking to a plant delivery driver this morning about vintage (alright, he didn't speak my lingo, but it was pretty close) racing and the ego involved. I made my point, he made his, and then he proceeded to tell me about a girl that he had grown up with, to use his exact words "She's wuz lik ma leetle seester". She was racing an old Fiero (gulp, plastic anybody) in an amature series with various other ilk 80's and early 90's. She was cooking, actually faring quite well until the last lap, a fella with an ego bigger than his brain decided he was going to pass her on with two wheels off track - he was in an 83 Cutlass (gulp, metal anybody?) Losing grip, and eventually control with two wheels on marble, he lost it and careened into the young lady throwing her and her Fiero off into the infield. Cutlass driver went airborne and hit a pole, which eventually landed him in the hospital with a couple of broken arms. The point he was trying to get across was that with older models like that, of course you're not going to be safe as in your mothers womb, but then again, you're just as in danger driving down the interstate - what with all the "distracted drivers" out there. The point was also made that at least when you're on the track you're focused on the task at hand, driving. Out on the open road, lord knows what people are doing out there, I've heard stories, and how people pull some of this stuff off is beyond me (the incident where the car plowed into the house because a girl and boy were engaging in some hanky panky while driving). I've seen gore. I'm not desensitized, however, I don't think anybody with compassion could be. After watching my little sister lose one friend from an accident in a truck, one friend getting run over by a boat and another get both of his legs paralyzed by a motorcycle, I have to wonder - is it their fault or the fault of everybody else that come into contact with them? Is it just chance? Does my sister run around with severely careless individuals or does negativity like that become contagious. SIster is incredibly involved with the amature racing series in Wisconsin, and she can tell some stories, most of glorious parties in the infield, but recently I received a message from her with a different tone to it - she was incredibly miffed at the fact that most of the racetracks up there are changing regulations as to the protection you must wear if you're in the pits. Her statement "Those f***ing shoes are expensive" My snide remark of "Cheaper than new legs" didn't go over well. On that tangent, thank you, Paul. You've made me more aware of the fragility of life. I'm going to go kiss my One Series on each and every one of it's airbags. You should do the same, do it for your little sister.
Love that comeback; presumably in retrospect she may appreciate it coming from one sister's care for the other. Never cut corners on safety; it may seem expensive in the moment, but the costs pale in comparison to the alternatives. Really, there's no way to put a price on one's safety, wholeness, or avoiding injury in the event something happens. I don't think it fits anymore, but someplace I have a t-shirt with the following imprint: ACME Bungee Company "We skimp on safety so you don't have to!"
