Tonight, we're strolling the streets of Hoboken and we needed a PNC bank ATM machine... used my ever so faithful phone to locate one nearby... wholla... only several blocks away in a medical center... no problem!
There it is... right inside the lobby... what? The doors are locked!? Being the resourceful and persistant woman I've become, I quickly come up with a great idea... just enter the emergency room and walk right thru that hospital to my destination!
As expected, David tried to convince me to walk the eight or so blocks to the next PNC location but I refused and suggested he wait outside. Wow! I could feel the adrenaline build as I became more and more determined to NOT let a locked door get in the way of my goal! Guess I should tell you we have lived here almost thirteen years and it's been, at least, that long since we've stepped into a hospital for any reason.
Okay, now, this is my purpose for telling you my story... do you need a wake-up call? Are you taking moments for granted? Have you forgotten that life is short and we don't know when it's going to end?
Surprisingly, David decides to follow me on my quest... we walk right in as if we belong there. We pass nurses, doctors, crying family members... there had to be at least twenty different emergency rooms with those familiar curtains... it seemed most were open and we could see the people lying there. The beeping sounds of multiple machines were piercing... we quickly walked right thru... it was as if we were invisible... I kept thinking of the emergency room scenes in the movie "Ghost".
Success! Found the lobby/ cafeteria area we had seen from the street and arrived at our destination... that ATM! Of course, David seemed numb from the adventure and kept rolling his eyes at me. I chatted with the security guard and off we went... one more trip thru that emergency room! I looked closer at the people... maybe some would go home, but how many of them are about to take a journey into the great unknown? Their time here has come to an end? How many of those people are lying there, hearing that "beep, beep, beep, beep"... wondering... regretting things they never did? Asking themselves "what if"?
I left that place with an unbelievable zest for life... more so than before! What a "gift" to be reminded how precious it is to be able to walk right out and continue with my life! I'm not ready to be lying on my deathbed... I'm not done yet!
It's been hours and I still feel the "goosebumps" of that experience! I had to share this. Sooooo, my friends, if you ever feel like you're in a slump and need a swift kick in the backside... walk thru your neighborhood emergency room and get your much needed wake-up call! Just saying...
