We never know what lies around the next corner. I remember being on duty in the fire station,several years ago and getting dispatched to I-95. It was the epitome of mayhem. A tractor trailer driver was in the lane, closest to the median, minding his own business. As he rounded the curve, he saw a vehicle wreak ahead. He could have barreled through and hurt or killed many people. Instead, he swerved to miss them, causing his truck and trailer to jackknife. His truck would bust through the concrete median, causing his truck to catch fire. The burns that this man sustained would claim his life. Just as that man had no idea what lay around that curve, we do not know what lies around the next corner of our lives.
I normally write about fires and medical incidents that have occurred or could occur. I let you know what happened and ways that these things could be prevented. Most of my articles have been reactive, though I try to give them a proactive spin. Writing an article like this one is difficult because neither I nor you have any idea of what lies ahead. My question is, what can you do to prepare for this unknown thing? Let’s take the effect of warm weather on the body. As temperature and humidity rise, the risk of heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke. One preventive measure is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. This happens before you are exposed to the weather, not after the exposure and before symptoms, but before it all. It might be a bad diagnosis or a hiccup in your marriage. The point is, what are the preventive measures and what can you do to lessen the impact?
Some preventive measures require lifestyle changes, at a young age. Some things will come with little warning and lifelong impact. You find yourself on a path, one that you would not have chosen, but you are on this path nonetheless. Whatever landed you here is water under the bridge. It is now time to figure out how you will navigate this journey. I find myself walking with people through some very difficult things. The problem is that when you deal with life’s issues, the fix is not a pill or an instant diagnosis with an immediate remedy. Our fast food, fast-paced ideology is not going to work. I tell my church that we must have a living and growing faith in the Lord. I also talk about spiritual markers. When you travel an interstate, you see mile markers. Spiritual markers are put down when the Lord does something that you know could only be Him. Putting down spiritual markers allow you to go back there when something has rocked your world. Without these markers, some will have to go back to their salvation or a person may even walk away from their faith. A living faith is one that we work out and work through each day.
We all need a support network. In most cases, we do not realize that until we are in the middle of something. One old statement that seems applicable: “You never know who your real friends are until the chips are down.” Who will suffer with you? Whose phone truly rings 24/7? I do not know what we will face in this day, much less tomorrow or the day after that. We measure physical fitness by the recovery time. The longer it takes to recover from a run, walk or bike ride, the lower the fitness level. Life deals some people tough and unfair circumstances. How will you face whatever lies around your next corner? Be ready!
