There, But for the Grace of God

It's Sunday so I have some license to include a reference to God in my blog. Unfortunately it's not the prettiest story but it does allow me to preach a bit.

I had to go in to the hospital last Sunday because I was the on-call guy for my group. While there I learned there had been yet another substance related death that night. This time it involved a 35 year old man who had been found drunk and face down in our local river.

The broad Shiawassee River is quite picturesque as it winds through town. This time of year it is especially so with the big trees starting to add highlights to their heavily leafed branches. It is also especially shallow this time of year, maybe 3 feet at its deepest. Not a white water monster.  Nonetheless, in a community with its fair share of Saturday night drunks, more than just a few people have found themselves stumbling along it banks. Thankfully, it's pretty infrequent that anyone doesn't make their way back onto dry land.

Talking with one of my colleagues about this latest episode it was one of those sad and unfortunate events. Attempts were made to resuscitate but to no avail. And we both had to say, there, but for the grace of God, go I. We both had to admit we have each had our misadventures which could have ended up quite badly. We both acknowledged our good fortune in never having had to end up in a hospital, a cop car, or on the wrong end of a "bail me out" call.

As much as we all grow older and, for the most part, seem to learn from our mistakes, it amazes me that we seem so incapable of successfully passing that information along. Whether it's as simple as the wisdom in not procrastinating or as critical as the necessity of not drinking and driving, it seems others just don't want to embrace the lessons to be learned from the experiences of others. As the saying goes, experience is the best teacher... and best learned from the experience of someone else. The worst of it is the concrete wall which seems to obstruct any possible transfer of the elders' combined wisdom to the inexperienced offspring. Take Mom's/Dad's advice? Right.

We all suffer the same stupidity. We all seem to re-plow the same unforgiving fields. Those of us who are truly fortunate end up, one day, sitting in our comfortable homes thinking about it. And hoping against hope our children will safely manage life's many, often self-made, obstacles as well. Say a prayer.