In the middle of the night, the fire alarm in my apartment tears me from a deep sleep.
I run, I jump, up on the chair that stands under the smoke detector.
While pressing “RESET”, the button does not show any reaction, my left ear feels numb.
The hundredth time I push the button: OFF. Finally.
Only afterwards, I look around: Everything is fine.
How can it be my first impulse to press the RESET switch, while the shrill sound should save my life and warn me that there’s a fire?
Staring into the dark, I wonder if this question is worth the thinking.
Are we so detached and done that we would not consider the possibility that this time it could have been a different case?
Is there any reference to fire in our lives, and are we programmed to automatically access the RESET switch? How many times have I experienced such situations, or seen them?
The passing stroke that was only thought to be a migraine attack.
People get these throughout their lives at some point, right?
Better not call the ambulance too early, it’s just a no-go. It will be alright.
In case of doubt, this was the first and last migraine attack. Who could have guessed that it is was a stroke?
The missed opportunity to introduce yourself at the company whose job profile was not 100%, but to 75% matching you. The colleague from the logistic department, who dared it nevertheless, with only 50%-chance. He did not get this job, but he got a better one.
The love of your life, stifled into ashes. Too complicated, the timing absolutely not right.
You wanted to save your university diploma first, read 1,000 books and travel around the world? Was it this “only you forever”- love, people talk about? That scared you, very understandable. Now, when you put your nose into your book, you are scared, too. With someone at the airport in Peking. You appreciate “your someone” but you don’t love him. You banish these thoughts quickly but the RESET button does not react properly again.
Your last chance to tell a loved one that you love him.
Did you assume we live forever?
Many other chances you expected, not thinking it would be so serious. Tomorrow it would have been on the way, the hospital. Perfect between your coffee date, which you have canceled so often and the meeting with your study group, for that important project.
None of them unimportant, or even selfish. Not at first glance, I mean.
Does it hurt you to know that this person’s eyes are closed forever, saying “farewell” to the world, missing you? Does it make you cry, on the way to the funeral home, which is really not on your way today?
Every day, you surround yourself with thoughts about your great dream. You hesitate, you’re afraid. Others might call you a dreamer. Again!
Am I really good enough? Probably I’m just too arrogant. Yes, there are thousands with your skills. The difference is those thousands were not giving up on their dream, from the very beginning.
Hesitation is permitted, fear and uncertainty are allowed, too. Ignoring the fire before you’ve ever seen how and whether it burns or not, that’s absolutely forbidden!
Do yourself the favor:
When the alarm goes off, at least, check, if there’s a fire!
Picture by: Peter Röben
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/de/deed.de
Source: http://piqs.de
