It Was a Nice Day

It was one of those early spring mornings when you are glad you live in a small town in Texas. My first service call of the day was "parking lot lights out" at a local office building. I checked in with the folks at the front desk and was referred to the guard on duty. He showed me the lights that were out.

The circuit breakers for the lights are located in an equipment room down a hill and around a bend from the parking lot. I turned them all on (277-volts) and walked up the hill and around the bend. Still, more walking to a pole where the lights was not burning.

Nice place I think to myself, nice to see all of these flowers everywhere (timer had just turned off the sprinklers). I bend down, placing my right knee on the wet grass, open the metal cover, and pull the wires out (bare handed). I shake the wires a bit, and I hear the sound of some arcing. I turn the wirenuts several times with not luck. So I pull the wirenuts off, whip out my pliers and start twisting away. Then it hits me!

I command my hand to open, "open hand". No response.

Ok, just look around and see if anyone can help you. "Head will not move."

OK, just start yelling for help! "Mouth gears will not engage".

OK, this is it; I lived through Viet Nam so I could get killed in this stupid parking lot.

Think, think, "the brain works just fine", I just cannot move any thing. "No wait, I realize with God's help I am supporting myself with the muscles in my left leg". Ok, that's good, relax the left leg muscles and you will fall over, pulling your right hand off of the hot wire. Ok I think, I might as well try this. "It works"; I fall over to the left, pulling my hand off of the hot wire.

I get up, walk off twenty feet and just sit down looking at the world, the flowers, the grass and then deep, deep up into the clear spring day morning sky: Thank you God for keeping me alive one more time.

What Did I learn? I learned, one more time that God has a plan for my life and I am my worst enemy. Safety must be a part of my life if I am to have a life!

May he keep you up right and moving.

I'm sorry, I don't remember who sent this to me.