Have you ever walked into a situation without realizing you just may have made a tragic mistake?

Not a Care In The World

That was me today as I came home from school and drove to the main office area of my apartment complex to check my mail. As I drove in, I noticed about six police cars parked together and the accompanying officers all congregated together near their cars.

Instead of thinking something was wrong, I made sure I wasn't speeding and that I, of course, had my seat belt on. I parked by the mail boxes and got out.

Just then, all six cars came speeding by and scared the be-jesus out of me as they turned on their sirens and light. I stopped by my tailgate and watched as a police helicopter flew overhead and proceeded to circle the area.

I looked around to see if other residents were outside and nearby so maybe I could ask someone what was going on. No one was nearby at that particular moment so, invincible, indestructable, person that I obviously thought I was, I proceeded to go and gather my mail.

The helicopter kept going around and around and I found myself standing still and staring up at it. The pilot was probably calling me every kind of idiot for standing there in the open like a fool while a dangerous event was going on around me.

I got back to my truck and one lady came out of the office and walked towards me. I asked her what the heck was going on and she said the police were chasing down a suspect who was evading arrest. He had been hiding in bushes around the complex and the helicopter had been called in to help locate the suspect.

She was afraid to walk back to her building so I offered to drive her there. She declined, apparently just as stupidly invincible as myself, and walked on.

I hopped into my truck, locked the doors and drove to my building. On the way, I had to pull over as six police cars beeped me off the path so they could speed by.

They had caught the suspect and I saw him in the back of the third car. I have no idea what he was being arrested for and no news crews picked it up before the news this evening, but I just had to share that I'm an idiot!

I could have been hurt. I could have accidentally put myself in harm's way by casually going on about my business as if nothing bad could ever happen to me. I had seen the cluster of police cars and thought nothing of it until I was standing out in the open like a sitting duck! QUACK!

Who? Me?

I learned something important today. PAY ATTENTION! Think about what it is I am observing and analyze the situation before making the decision to immerse myself right in the center of it all.

"Work, work, work!"

Maybe I had some divine guidance and maybe it was just luck but something protected me from my own stupidity today!

Duck and Angel clipart retrieved from:

www.bradfitzpatrick.com