There is a fine line between opportunity and tragedy, as I experienced this weekend.
I witnessed tragedy, by helping someone who could of died on Friday.
I experienced opportunity, by exploring the results of my interests on Saturday.
Tragedy:
On Friday night I was driving down an unlit country road, I approached a car parked halfway on the kerb, the lights were on and the drivers side door was open. As I went to steer around the car I could see a person laying half on the road with their legs partly in the car, like they were doing sit-up.
I’m thinking is this a setup for me to be mugged? Or is this person genuinely hurt? I hesitate but stop my car, I feel my heart beating faster but I couldn’t drive away.
It’s about 2°C and I don’t know if the person is conscious. So I stop call the emergency services and put my hazard lights on. 30 seconds later a car stops behind me and joins to help. So I assume with strength in numbers, I get out and approach the scene with the people in the car behind. There is a male laying in the road, he has shallow breathing and has been sick in the car, himself and on the road. He is not very responsive and stayed in the same position, until I left. We keep him warm by covering him with jackets, then cleared his airways. We stayed until the emergency services arrived. There was a baby seat, I was so relieved that there was no baby in the car.
I assumed that this chap has taken something so strong to be so unresponsively lying across the road. He could of been run over or died from hypothermia. We kept talking to him, stay with us.. don’t go to sleep.. (Don’t go unconscious.. Don’t die). He wasn’t communicating, but he was breathing.
The thought of taking drugs and driving disgusts me, to put yourself and other innocent people at danger is selfish. But as I looked at this chap I thought your going to lose your licence, maybe your job, what will be the impact on his family. He appeared to be married with kids, what mental health state was he in to make that decision, and it’s hard not to have even a small degree of sympathy for him, despite him making such a poor decision. But I honestly hope he gets the help to make a recovery.
Opportunity:
Saturday morning out of many applicants who applied, I took part with the other finalists to take part in an ambassador day for Ashmei, a sportswear company for runners, cyclist and triathletes. It was great to meet other people who I’ve connected with on social media and hear their inspirational stories and their journeys. I got to meet the owners and the current ambassadors and learned more about the company and their values. We went for a trail run in the Chilterns, the scenery was stunning.
So now I wait to hear if I get selected. I’d love to be selected but, even if I’m not selected, I’ve not lost anything, I’ve gained some great experiences, and met some great people, the everyday hero types who have done some amazing things.
What I’ve learned from this selection day is there is always something to gain from the chances you take whether it ends in victory or defeat.
The events from Friday did play on my mind during Saturday. I don’t know the full facts which caused this chap to get himself in that situation but I’ve had times when I haven’t been able to see initially beyond the challenges I’ve faced, I believe sometimes fear can stop you from being aware of what’s good and dim your eyes to the opportunities that are all around you.
There is such a fine line between opportunity and tragedy, but having optimism even in the face of adversity is so important, it helps you release that opportunity no matter how small, is available if you choose to believe it, even if what you can see tells you the complete opposite.
Marcus Runs 