Life Is A Gift!

2 of my dear friends posted on Facebook. Both of them are not members on steemit. I share their posts. 

Thats it for today! Its a bit odd but you might understand why I wish to post this story, if you read on. 

I do not mention names. 

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One of them is Nigerian living in New York and an excellent writer and extremely valuable for his community. 

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The other one an African American ex-model who has strong opinions about his country and weapons, as you see in this video clip I post below.

He has a message regarding the Las Vegas shooting.  

"CERTAIN TYPE OF AUTOMATIC WEAPONS NEED NOT !!!!! TO BE AVAILABLE TO CIVILIANS. 

NO POINT, NO EXCUSES!!!!!"

Live is Life

"I had decided to stop posting on Facebook for personal reasons, but I have to make an exception because I was involved in a car accident yesterday.Well, things could be worse. I got away this time with a whiplash but the car was banged up. And it took more than 5hrs for the police to arrive. It was a hit and run on a high speed that spun my car around so violently on the Van Wyck Expressway. I feel fortunate that life is a gift. It is the second time that my car had been hit this year alone by a hit and run white car. coincidence? Maybe. Symbolic? Sure!

When I was making the report to an Chinese American police man, he had his hand on his gun and kept telling me not to get too close to him. He spent 30 minutes explaining to me with every insult possible why he could not help me. 

You may find this hard to believe but I just counted the dials on my phones and it is exactly 30 events of 911 calls and communication during the course of 5 hours, from 4:05 am till 9:30 am on Saturday October 7, 2017. 

The accident happened on the expressway to the airport. A car drove full into my rear at top speed that it lifted both rear axis off the ground, spun me around and drove into my side of the car pushing the car along as I struggled to control the wheel. It did not stop! The car continued to drive overtaking other cars along the way. I chased it as first response and quickly come to my senses as we approached the airport exit. I dialed 911 and proceeded to the airport. I had friends in the car who might have  missed their flight if I had decided to continue to chase hit and run car. When I told the operator what happened, she told me to proceed to the airport and she would send the police to my terminal. The police arrived about 15 minutes of waiting at the airport and constantly harassed by a swat of what southeast Indian JFK security personnel. Why are they all south East Asians? Coincidence? I don’t know. Each one of them would take turn in coming to interrogate me while I am there and I kept saying I am waiting for the police. But my nightmare was about to begin when the Chinese police came. He was alone, which is already a sign of reluctance or dismissal. Anyway, he said that since the accident did not happen at the airport itself, it was outside his jurisdiction, which I understood. However, I asked him to please take the statement from my friends before they leave, as an independent individual and better yet a representative of the police authority present, given the circumstances. He refused and the ping pong lasted for about 30 minutes with spins and undercut of insults, subtle threats, and slurs. It was clear that I was experiencing the plight of the “black category" in America.

I had to call 911 and start the report over again. I was then told to go back to the scene of accident, and call again frin there. So, I did. Got there called again; “Ok, wait there, police are on their way.” By now it was 5:00 am. 

Called 911 again:

Note each time you call, it is treated as a new call.

911 operator: 911 what’s the emergency?

 Me: I am still here. 

911 operator: we always have to do this over again 

Me: ok, had an accident, hit and run....

911 operator: any injuries

Me: nothing bloody, thank God, but my back and neck hurts.

911 operator: do you need an ambulance?

Me: no please. I just need the police to document this for my insurance and for their record a killer driver on the loose. May have caused other damages. 

911 operator: where exactly are you? What do you see. 

Me: Van Wyck expressway right before exit 1W in the middle lane. The shoulder is tight and traffic is at top speed. Dangerous out here. I can’t stay here too long.

911 operator:  ok. Wait there. Police on their way.

(6:30 am)

Called again to repeat exact sequences of previous dialogue.

911 operator: they can’t find you. 

Me: I have been here.

(7:30 am) 

called again to repeat exact sequences of previous dialogue.

Me: I need to use the bathroom. So I will drive to the airport.

911 operator: if you leave the scene, you have to start afresh or go to the precinct to file a report.

Me: I must use the bathroom now.

By this time, my stomach had began to churn and my priority shifted to controlling the rush. Got to the airport. Went to the bathroom and then a call from the 911 dispatcher came through. I have had few if these between calls already that morning. At this point, the dispatcher decided to send an ambulance to me at the airport.

They arrived fairly quickly. Two guys: driver is Caucasian and the partner was Filipino American. I could tell by there names. Why is this important? You’ll see.

I waved the ambulance down. And explained that I am the subject. 

Ambulance driver: what seems to be the problem?

Me: I had been in an accident....

Ambulance driver: are you injured? What can we do for you?

Me: Well, you could check me up and write a report but I do not want to go to the hospital. (Leaving my car here would cause even more damage to my already beleaguered economy.) So please, check me up and document it.

Ambulance driver: oh sorry, we are only here to take you to the hospital. If you don’t want to go, we can’t help you. Sorry and good luck.

(Completely dismissing the driver’s decision the ambulance partner interjected)

Ambulance partner: oh wait, we can assess you and document it. Please let’s go in the back of the truck. 

(Opens the door, came out of the passenger side and opens the back and waived me in) By this time, I had started to feel a pain in my right leg and my head aches were piercing from the spine up.)

Ambulance partner: (professionally and cordially asked all the questions and document them accordingly- noting my decision not to go to the hospital immediately because of my concerns). We will also called the police for you, and they will come here so you do not have to go highway and wait again.

Ambulance driver, feeling shameful to the point that I felt sorry for him. I said thank you to both; on one hand to express gratitude to the ambulance partner, and on the other hand to give strength of understanding and forgiveness to the Ambulance driver. Now, the Ambulance driver has started to talk again but now with compassion. 

Now my ordeal was starting to feel like research and field work at the same time.

They left. A police car came. One guy in the car. This time I know to save my breath to avoid my earlier experience because he too was an airport police. He advised to call 911, which I did and they say go to the spot where the accident took place and call again.

(9:15 am)

Went back there. Called 911. It took about 15 minutes and a police car showed up. For the first time, the police emergency lights felt like Xmas. 2 officers in the car. one Caucasian male and one Black categorized female officer. The female officer was very pretty, I did not see here hair, which might perhaps help to determine her ethnicity. She could be light skinned African, dark skinned Hispanics or dark skinned South Indian heritage. She did not say a word, except short instructions to ensure my safety, such as don’t open your side of the door; You can remain in the car... The male officer looks  young and handsome too and did all the talking. He was extremely nice. He explained why I just go and think about making a report. He said your insurance would go up, even if you are innocent. He said once you report it, the insurance would know and that just by the fact that you are in an accident, the premium will go up regardless who is at fault. This is just how the insurance works in America. “It is not fair” he said but that is how it works. So he advised to take the car in assess your loss before you report it to the police or your insurance if it is worth that premium hike. He apologised for the delayed police response and explained that they were short staffed and prioritizing. He explained that since there were no serious injuries, the incident response is not a priority. I understood but I was now tired and still needed to get to New Jersey. At this point, I was hoping that my nightmare was coming to an end. 

The police stopped traffic for me and I headed home. I was tired. Shoving up several chewing gum to stay awake, I made it to Central Park with a great deal of difficulty. I stopped to grab a bagel with butter from one of those stands having completely forgotten about my stomach condition. But I made another mistake that day. While I was waiting between hours, I decided to call my mother. I told her that I had been involved in a frightful accident, but thank God I am fine, but just waiting for the police to arrive and it is taking so long. I instructed her specifically not to alarm anyone. (lol) few minutes later, calls and texts from my sisters, and the spouse who spites me kept coming in interfering with my emergency response activities.

When I made it home, I had to rush to the bathroom first. Exhausted as expected, I rolled into my bedroom falling into bed to catch some sleep. Just as I was about to fall asleep, in comes the Kier Sokhna (lady of the house) standing between the door in akimbo.  

Here is the conversation:

Kier Sokhna: why don’t you pick up you phone? Everybody has been worrying about you. You mum, your sisters, they have all been calling here. You did not connect the house phone.... so ......

Me: I was involved in a hit and run car accident yesterday but I am fine. I got lucky with a whiplash but the car was quite banged up. I am sorry, though it happened with no fault of mine. I am very exhausted now. I’ll tell you detail when I get up. 

Kier Sokhna:

You will tell me details now. Everyone was worried because of you. Why don’t you pick up you phone? Everybody has been worrying about you. You mum, your sisters, they have all been calling here. You did not connect the house phone.... so ......

Me: thanks for your concern. I am fine. I did not call you because I did not want you to worry unnecessarily. I am sorry my mother called my sister and she informed you. That was not my intention. I am just really tired now. Please let me rest now.

Kier Sokhna: it’s irresponsible of you to alert people and not take their calls. The car is now ruined, you did not take calls, no texts...I demand an answer now. 

By this time I had the pillow over my head and started reciting the lord’s prayer. The situation has been very tense in the house. The ten year relationship had its days and we have decided to separate. This change for a life at my age in my process is additional challenge. But it is a necessary one. I have been very concerned about my little daughters. 

The morning prior to this accident, I work up from a nightmare! I was at a river shore. One of my daughters got missing and we found her washed ashore, drowned. The dream was vivid and palpable. I woke up screaming. it felt real. I spent the day thinking what it is like to lose one’s child. A very dear friend had just lost his son. The loss of a child is heavy as it was portrayed in Will Smith’s Collateral Beauty. 

When I went to pick my girl up from school, I noticed everything about her, the eyes, the expression, her feelings, her needs, etc.  I am less angry or irritated now at her childishness. 

When the Kier Sokhna’s friend came to pick my daughters up for a planned sleepover and my older daughter picked the sweater, she was wearing in my dream when she drowned. I asked her to please not take that sweater. Normally, she would demand a reason, but this time she just obeyed. 

Somehow then and there I knew there was a shift in the oracle and a change in the matrix. 

Allow me to conclude this entry in my journal of life, that I already shared with my grieving friend: 

We all know that life is a gift. I am more sure of that than ever. Since then, I have been contemplating the question: "Do we worship God because we need "him" to help fulfill our hearts desire? Or, does God chose us to endow with talent and vision to execute "his" will through us? 

If life is a gift, only one of these opposing premises can hold true.

But, to pretend that we know for sure would be simply a lie. 

We can only hope that our belief holds some degree of truth. But more importantly that our belief is fair and just. This is good for balance and our sanity because it has productive utilitarian value."

In this delicate circumstance it dawned on me that we have all been doing it wrong fighting ourselves with silly idiosyncrasies:

Black lives matter, All lives matter.......Who came up with this stuff. Really!!!

The slogan we are all yearning for is:

Life is beautiful, preserve it!

Life is beautiful, nurture it!

Life is beautiful, respect it!

Life is precious, please provide diversity training to the police. 

And the list goes on!

 @massivevibration