I watched this accident happen yesterday:

Not a very Merry Christmas for the driver (not pictured), but it could have been worse.

The driver was fine (and actually crawled through the windshield as I was approaching on foot), but the whole ordeal made me think about the impermanence and fragility of life.

The text messages sent before leaving the house, calls he made while driving, and thoughts he held captive before the accident were almost his last.

I wonder if they would have represented him well…if people would say that he lived a good life, and if there are lots of people who would miss him.

I wonder if he had kids whose life almost changed, and how his version of the story will be next year when he sits around the Christmas tree with his loved ones.

I wonder if he knows that his (near) tragedy is causing me to be more present and aware and grateful for life right now.