I feel compelled to write about my birthday [which was yesterday] today. I’m not sure why really, but I feel like it. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that after reading about mall shootings and nasty business meetings in the news I’d just rather not talk about anything too serious. So since this is my site and I’m a bit of a narcissist we’re talking about me. So as I sit here eating what some of my friends have dubbed a “nasty” snack, which happens to be a jalapeño bagel covered in strawberry cream cheese, I’ll relate the events of yesterday to you. Hm, speaking of which, what kind of bagels do you all like? Anybody like jalapeño? I digress, a thousand apologies.

I turned 23 yesterday and somehow I don’t feel the wiser for it. I woke wondering if I might have gained some great insight on the world around me, but alas, I’m still clueless. I was pampered royally by friends and family which felt great though :biggrin:. I know everyone normally lists their presents, but since most of mine were of the paper and plastic variety I’d feel better not listing those. Let’s just say it was more than enough to pay my bills for the month and leave it at that. While I may not have gained any new knowledge I feel as though I have a better appreciation of my life, because as bland and dismal as it may seem things could be worse. I could lose everything in the blink of an eye or I could watch someone I care about taken away from me in a flash. That I haven’t had these horrible things happen to me makes me more grateful than words can express.

The night of my birthday wasn’t nearly as fun as the day though. After I got out of my CJ 414 class, which runs from 6-8:30pm, I headed home thinking it might be nice just to kick back and relax since my assignments are all done. Instead I spent my night sitting on the side of the road waiting for the police and a tow truck to arrive. I travel the frontage road because it’s less traveled and I can fly down it with little to no worries about being pulled over. As I crested one hill I spied some blinking lights and I thought it was someone’s hazard lights. What it really was were the car’s turn signal lights.

A pregnant woman and her son were traveling on the Northbound lane of I-25 to visit the boy’s grandfather in Albuquerque. I-25 runs parallel to the frontage road I was traveling on. Apparently she fell asleep behind the wheel of her car and crossed over into the median between the North and Southbound lanes. Realizing her mistake she tried to correct herself but actually over corrected and crossed back over the Northbound lanes hit the barbwire fence, flipped, and rolled down onto the frontage road. That night I was going slow, 60mph instead of my normal 80mph, so when I arrived her car had already come to a stop. I couldn’t help but think that if I had been going my normal speed she might have plowed into me.

When I arrived the car was on it’s side and another vehicle was pulled over on the interstate, a man and a woman were up by the interstate talking on a cellphone so I thought perhaps everything might be okay. I got out of my car anyway though and asked if they needed some help. Turns out the two standing up there were the witnesses and the occupants of the car were still trapped inside. I could now hear the crying of a little kid. The two witnesses stayed by their vehicle and refused to come and help so I ran over to the car and I swear my heart stopped. The little boy was pressed against the roof of the car and with his face turned partially away from me. What scared me the most was that in the little bit of light that there was and from what I could see of him he looked like my friend’s son. The woman inside was blonde and and I could tell she was pregnant and my mind jumped to the conclusion that it was Melanie and her son Dylan in the car. It wasn’t, thank goodness, but you can imagine my shock and fear in that moment.

Somehow I managed to extract the little boy from the tangle and lift him through the broken window without hurting him. I swear I don’t know where I found the strength to lift the boy, but somehow I did and was able to help the woman climb out while holding onto the boy who didn’t want to be put down. The whole time the man and the wife just stood by and watched. Never mind that if the people are trying to get out you should help them lest they hurt themselves worse in the process. There were several other accidents that night and it took awhile for the police to arrive so in the mean time I had the woman and her son sit in my car with the heater on and wrapped in a blanket I keep in my car. I ended up sitting by the road since I just helped and didn’t actually witness the accident. The whole time though I couldn’t help but be grateful that it wasn’t me and that they were okay. Somehow I just kept picturing my friend and her son sitting where the woman and her son were. It was the strangest night of my life.