Deep In The Forrest

Ok, it's storytime kids! (Originally written December 20, 2004) "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope it was the winter of despair..." (Dickens-Tale of Two Cities) Waking up early wasn't hard as the excitement filled the air. It had been nearly impossible to sleep the night before, with the impending mystery of Christmas morning upon me. Most of the night was spent tossing and turning (without benefit of any dancing sugarplums)... forcing myself to remain in bed so that he wouldn't pass me by! "How long could the night be!?!" I wondered, frantically. Just like clockwork, I sprung forth at dawn to go and see what wonderful gifts that Santa had brought for me. For a child about my age, lo and behold there was a 'Ripley's Beli...

All I needed was another thing to make me worry about loved ones, or to obscess over death-related matters. Yesterday, Mr. J makes the "mistake" (as he put it) of telling me that he was 'nearly' struck by an 18-wheeler (large commercial truck). It seems that the light turned green for him, the truck ran the red light and they swerved to miss each other. He said it was so close that he could feel the wind even in his truck. We've discussed the bad drivers around Memphis, and that is no lie. I can understand that a truck of that size is unable to maybe stop at a red light if he is very close, but odds are he was probably plowing down the road at death-defying speeds when this happened. Also, Mr. J has to be aware that people run red lights all the time, and to watch more closely before he begins to drive. He really could've been killed! It could happen anywhere anytime, I know, but the fact remains... it scared me thinking that I could have had a call in the mid...