Welcome Back to the World

Yesterday Dr. Clifford told me it was OK to take my neck brace off after 2 and a half months. After he walked out of the room I gathered my coat and hat with the brace in hand and went into the waiting room to call my ride. As I put my coat on the full realization hit me…for the first time in 2 and half months I could look left and right, up and down. I have my independence back, I can drive again! There should have been that music like the “fever breaking” moment in a movie. Like that point in the night when the darkest is finally over and the dawn breaks.

Do you ever get struck by profound little moments in a movie that stick with you for a long time. And that situation…or the essence of that situation pops up in your mind as a perfect illustration for a situation in your own life?

At the end of American Gangster (stop reading if you haven’t seen it) Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) walks out of jail after 15 years to the song “Can’t Truss It” by Public Enemy. The year is 1991, he is “significantly older and out of place”.

This was how I felt last night.
I got into my truck and drove out of my neighborhood for the first time since October 19th. I picked up my brother and had to get gas. Of course I had been watching the gas prices for months – but the last time I filled up it was over $4 a gallon. As my receipt printed out I read the total $20. I absolutely couldn’t believe it! Had I actually filled up my whole tank? OK, so Frank Lucas’ situation was much more dramatic…but you get the idea