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Reflexive actions
As I tediously stared at life’s minutes ticking away, even a fly’s buzz caught my attention. A cold, dry atmosphere set itself into existence outside on that uneventful mid-February weekend. Exhilaration surged in my family as we heard the news that my grandparents were to arrive for lunch. My brother, mom, dad, and I prepared for the afternoon that would leave us in much shock to come.
My mind was racing and making a virtual “To-do-list” as I sped to my room. Ten minutes later I relaxed to scrutinize the room that I had rapidly dusted, cleaned and vacuumed, as well as the glistening marble counters of the attached bathroom that I had performed my magic on. When I entered the kitchen, an aroma like no other held me entranced under its spell: my mom’s special rice dish. When the doorbell rang, we warmly greeted my grandparents inside. Soon, we all sat down together at the oak table for the delectable meal.
After eating to our hearts’ content, we decided to settle down for the afternoon. Grandpa quickly got himself involved in reading the newspaper and I started playing stimulating games online in my parent’s room. Meanwhile, grandma was relieving her tired body by taking a short nap, as dad carefully watched CNN for the latest news. At the same time, he was drinking a hot cup of tea, and when done, he walked up to the kitchen counter to place it in the sink. Although he was going around very carefully, dad accidentally knocked over another glass placed on the counter. Unfortunately for him, the immediate future was something he would love to change later if he had the power to do so.
The knocked glass broke on its way to the hard wooden floor and dad’s quick reflexes proved his “thinking-before-acting” trait when he caught the glass. Although dad might have even felt like a hero, the stubborn glass resisted and on touching the floor, sent sparks and shards of an immense abundance in every imaginable direction. Suddenly, dad felt a sting on his right hand, and when he looked, two gashes were bleeding profusely. When I reached the kitchen, I expect, I was even more astonished than him, so I ran all over the house looking for gauze pads that would act as a barrier against the stream of blood. Luckily, I managed to get my hands on bandages, gauze pads, and a reliable first aid kit, but unfortunately they wouldn’t suppress the bleeding.
Mom woke up from her afternoon nap, took one good look at that wound and stated, “You can try all you want, but that thing won’t cease without stitches.” Dad took her advice and waited by the door as she put on her coat, hurrying to get to the emergency room. Apparently, the doctor agreed with mom and gave him seven stitches. When they got home, we all sat down together and vowed to do our best to not let some dumb reactions and reflexes get the better of us.
Now our days of not using common sense continue, even if this vivid memory is not laughable. As we look back on this experience we wish that we could go back in time to stop this foolish occurrence, but that’s clearly not possible. What we can do is use common sense and experience to help us in life. But we need to go along with the flow of the natural forces and currents of the ocean, for who knows where this ship called life takes us?
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