I had another birthday last week. They seem to show up more quickly every year now. When I look in the mirror, I still see a 30-year-old man — but I wonder what others see.
For at least 10 years now — maybe 20 — I’ve had a list of things I need to change to make my life what I want it to be. I’ve made a lot of excuses about why I haven’t made those changes. Some of the excuses are pretty decent — even reasonable — but others are just self-indulgent whining.
I’m not yet where I want to be. I’m not yet who I want to be. And there’s a part of me which keeps telling me the lie that I still have forever to make those changes.
As I drove home from dinner Saturday night, I was almost hit by a speeding car which was running from a police car that was right behind it. I was on a four-lane highway which has a turn lane in the middle. I was stopped in the turn lane and was moments from darting to the left through an opening in traffic.
As I was about to accelerate into my left turn, I saw blue lights in my rear-view mirror — and then I realized the police car was chasing someone who was speeding directly toward me. I realized in horror that there was no way either of the cars could possibly stop.
They were about to hit me — and I thought I was about to die.

NOTEBOOK: The forest is burning, so quit arguing about single trees
Our inexplicable behavior ‘signals’ to the world who and what we are
We know our world must change, but we keep saying, ‘yes, but…’
My political lens makes me think you’re crazy — and vice versa
Tradeoffs about values leave me feeling like ‘double-minded man’
Why do we put off changes that might give meaning to our lives?
Just $12 fed mom and her girls, but bigger challenges lie ahead