Motorcycle Crashes, Train Wrecks and Life

I had a great conversation with my friend Kelly the other day. She is the friend who had the terrible accident last Spring. While she is having hitches and slows on her road to full recovery, she never ceases to amaze me with her strength and her irrepressible spirit. Kelly was very excited because she had made a very important connection in her life. With another human being. Not just any human being, but someone who could truly, in all meaningful ways, understand what she’s been through.

It’s not clear to me how she came to know about him – but his name is Al Foxx and he is a comedian and a motivational speaker. Twenty five years ago he was in a very bad motorcycle accident and suffered many similar injuries to Kelly. Some, much worse. He was told he would never walk again, speak again or drive again. Yet, he proved his doctors wrong and not only walks, speaks and drives (in his words, ‘watch out!’) but spends his life making others laugh and helping to motivate and inspire people from all walks of life. I highly recommend you visit his website, watch the little vids, maybe even buy his book.

Kelly did. She bought his book online and through a series of emails over an initial confusion about the purchase she and Al became email pen pals. They have spoken on the phone and hopefully, this weekend, her husband has taken her to meet Al, who happens to be living in a town just a few miles away from her.

To hear her talk about him and their conversations did my heart so much good. Because I could see that finally she had found someone who truly understood what she’s been going through and just that fact alone has done so much for her morale and I think helped her not to feel so alone. While she is surrounded by friends and family who love and cherish her and are as understanding as they can be, none of us truly can understand because we’ve not gone through what she has or what she will continue to go through. I thank God, that she has found this wonderful human being to talk to – to be understood by and to be friends with.

One of the things that Al said to her which really impacted her and then me as well, is that ‘everybody has motorcycle crashes in their life.’ Meaning, that we all have those horrible events that traumatize and shakes us to our bones, none of us are immune, and none of us are less vulnerable than the next guy when it happens. And rest assured it will. In some way, shape or form. And I guess this was Al’s answer to the ‘why me?’ question and a darn good one I’d say.

Motorcycle crashes, train wrecks…life – it happens to us all. Especially when we don’t expect it – we never see it coming – and it can’t be taken back – that chunk of time, those moments. All you can do it pick up whatever pieces survive the wreckage and start building again.

I personally find some comfort in that point of view. God knows my life has been train wreck lately and the fall out is still coming. I wonder when (if) it will ever stop and just settle. Although I’m pretty sure there are a few more chunks that will thunk me on the head before it’s all said and done. On the other hand, it’s just my trainwreck and I’m still breathing, walking and driving – and the law of averages insists the wreckage has a finite timeframe. So, I just need to keep moving til then, right?