One of those phone calls you hate to get

"Hi Holly, this is Mom..."
(so far, so good)
"Has B" (my brother)"called you today?"
(Oh no. What happened to B?) "No, he hasn't called me today"

"I was in an accident today and totaled my car"
(Wave of panic)
"I'm not hurt"
(whew)

I calmed down and realized that her voice sounded ok. Have you noticed that about voices? They often broadcast more than words. I was quickly reassured that she is indeed OK, but her car is not. Her seatbelt and airbags protected her, though she will be sore for awhile.

Poor mom. The woman who rarely evens turns on her cell phone happened to have it turned on today and looked at it for one tiny moment to see why it had beeped. That's all it took for the guy in front of her to stop for a light. One moment. Thank goodness it was a city street where they were not traveling at high speeds.

That could easily have been me. I admit, I often talk on the phone while driving. I'm one of those who likes to think "it won't happen to me". But if it could happen to my mother, who only turns on her phone once in a blue moon, it could happen to me, who only turns hers off at night. And since I engage in this activity often, my chances must be much higher.

Note to self (maybe I should write this on the back of my hand each day): Ignore the phone while driving!

Before cell phones, I never worried about who might be calling me while I was in the car, so why should I care now? Instead of turning it off at night, perhaps I should turn it off when I get into my car.