Hindsight is 20/20

I cannot tell you how many times I have either thought this or heard it in the last year and a half. It's been a wild ride, but Madeline Grace has officially made it 11 months on this earth, and almost everyday, I'm reminded of the hindsight perfect vision phenomenon.

The first time I really ever heard anyone use the phrase (at least when I was paying attention) was on a Friday night when I still lived in Maryville and soon after my family heard about my pregnancy. I was leaving the movies with a gal pal when my older brother called me. He wanted to assure me that he would be there for me and do anything that he could when the baby got here. I am pretty positive that he had been sipping a beer or two because he kept repeating the phrase "I know hindsight is 20/20." Over and over and over. And Over. I was listening but still trying to get him off the phone. I was supposed to go to dinner with my friend and his beer seemed to be extra supportive. Point of the story: every time I hear the phrase, I remember that friends and family are always there when you need them, even if whatever happened was pretty major and potentially scare them away.

I have also been thinking about the "mistakes" we make in life. (Madeline is in no way a mistake, only a surprise...) Especially since my grandpa had his surgery. I was thinking, if he had it to do all over again, would he have started smoking at 15?

Would we all be more careful driving down the road if we thought that we could in an instant take a person's life? My family and I drove by a horrible car accident on the way to see my grandpa this weekend. It was on I-29, just south of the airport. We heard about it later on the news. A man, his (pregnant) wife and three-year old had pulled over on the right hand shoulder to secure whatever was in the back of the pick-up when a shuttle van (no doubt going over 70 mph) slammed into the back and side (where the man was standing) and sent the truck into the ravine beside the highway. We saw the shuttle van was pretty torn up, and one of the passengers is reported to have injuries. The man lost his life. The woman lost her husband. The little boy lost his father. And the unborn child...

All in an instant of probable carelessness.

We've all lost and made mistakes and choices that will affect the rest of our lives, but when hindsight is 20/20, when we look back, will it all be worth it? I hope it is for you.

PS--- Grandpa is doing great under the circumstances... He's going home today, which is wonderful. He has microscopic cancer cells in his lymph nodes and will be going through some chemo and radiation. But all will be well soon.

Pss-- here's part of an e-mail I recieved, I thought it went well..

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them * Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. * Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker. * If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague. * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it. * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others. * Never buy a car you can't push. * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on. * Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. * Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late. * The second mouse gets the cheese. * When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane. * Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live. * You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person. * Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once. * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box. * A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.