Asleep at the Wheel

     My dad phoned for the second time that Saturday morning. I had become his “work wife” since my mom had passed away. I dealt with all the minor details of his life: taxes, his schedule, his upcoming wedding, and his stories. I desperately wanted a bubble bath…every microfiber of my muscles were stiff and sore. After turning on the bath, I went into the kitchen to grab a snack. I noticed that the dishes were sitting in the sink. After checking the dishwasher, noting that it was filled, I ran a sink to wash up the leftover dishes. The water was cold….on the hot setting….where was my hot water……then it donned on me….the tub! I raced into the bathroom and saw a flood of water all over the floor and into the bedroom.  I quickly turned off the tub, still talking to my dad! I could stay involved in the conversation by the occasional “really”, or “no kidding”. At this point, I had no idea where we were in the conversation., so I added my traditional ‘really”. 

     Asleep at the wheel…..wet ceiling tiles in my basement, flooded basement bedroom, but…not as bad as when I truly did fall asleep at the wheel, coming home from my son’s minor surgery in Calgary. We lived in Saskatchewan at the time. The trip home was 5 hours. A snowstorm began at the border and the flurries grew thick. It was two in the morning and I peacefully drove off the road, landing gracefully in a snow piled ditch, in between two road approaches.

The point is, being asleep at the wheel is dangerous. Consequences can range from replacing ceiling tiles, to being pulled out of the ditch, or even losing all that you value.