Just a Second

Yesterday was NUTS around here! I had to pick up kids at two different times, and even with a grocery store trip in the middle we still ended up waiting forever for the others to get out. Then we had baseball games, choir practice (in opposite direction of course!) and a baseball practice. And somehow in there I was supposed to work in some kind of DINNER. Ha. I was seriously stressing and snapping at everyone and just didn't see how it could all get done. (Did I mention I am behind on laundry too? Am I ever NOT behind on laundry?)

I had finally arrived home with as-many-children-as-would be-there-then and was cutting up some watermelon to bring to eat at the ball field while Paisley worked on a dinner salad. ("Must minimize sweets this year." she says as she eats another piece of Easter candy.) I stuck the knife into the top of the watermelon and went to pull it down the side to split it in two. But instead of pulling the knife down, my hand slipped down the knife. From the handle and DOWN THE BLADE.

I looked at it before it even started bleeding and Paisley says that I yelled, "Oh my gosh its DEEP!" I grabbed a towel and started putting pressure on it right away. I didn't know what to do. Paisley didn't know what to do. Thankfully, Jay was home and had just gotten in the shower. She went and told him. He came down and took a look and decided that we needed to go have it looked at. Luckily, the urgent care near us does do stitches. I got three; my first non-childbirth-related stitches ever! But they are on my right palm with is a real PITA.

But in that one moment, all of the stress from getting whoever to where ever went down the drain, it all got handled (thanks to Nana for picking up kids and Paisley for being able to drive the van to choir) and Jay whisked me off to a doctor. One second changed the whole evening and brought it all into focus.

Earlier in the day, Jay had been witness to a car accident. Well, he heard it first and then he saw it. One car t-boned another. There was no screech of brakes, just a huge crash. One second those people were heading down the road, maybe worrying about being late or stressing about traffic, or thinking of something totally unrelated, and the next second none of that mattered anymore. All that mattered was living to the next moment, getting medical help. Who knows what condition they are in today? One second changed it all.

Thank God my one second only rearranged one evening. (And caused some discomfort for a few more days.) Thank God that it did not revise my entire life plan.

One second can change everything.