On our 2 hour drive home from Easter festivities, we experienced a near poop incident with our four-year old daughter. Right as we hit a stretch of highway lacking in exits with any type of civilization, my daughter said she had to go to the bathroom. We acknowledged her request and asked if she could wait just a few more minutes. She said yes, but the look on her face was not convincing, and about 2 minutes later it was clear that we had run out of time. To cries of “It’s coming, it’s coming”, my husband and I panicked to find a way to help her. In the midst of the chaos I remembered that I had put an emergency potty in the back of the car for just this kind of situation. So, my husband pulled over on the side of the freeway and I raced out of the car to get the potty. Now, before I go on to the next part I have to tell you that all of this happened in a span of about 20 seconds; And, I was very motivated by the prospect of cleaning up a very messy situation. Time was my enemy.
So, as I ran to the back of the car and swung the door open, I had completely forgotten about our dog. Captain Nemo jumped out of the car as soon as I opened the door. Now, mind you, we were approximately 3 feet from cars going at least 70 mph, and Captain went right for the road. In that split second I saw about 25 different possibilities in which our whole family ended up either in the hospital or the morgue. So I threw myself on top of Captain’s hind quarters as he continued to lurch toward his inevitable demise. Just to give you a visual he is a 100 pound black lab who is very strong, and I am a petite woman. After what seemed like an hour of forceful wind from the speeding cars taking my breath away, I grabbed a hold of his back hair and pulled him on top of me as I fell backward. After ushering him safely back into the car and finding the potty I was walking around in circles at the side of the expressway, trying to figure out how to get my daughter the relief she needed. The only thing I knew for sure was that getting her out of the car anywhere near the speeding cars, was not an option. This is when my hero, otherwise known as my husband leaped into action. He pulled me into the car hopped into the back, grabbed the potty, and pulled Charlie out of her seat to the back with him. Within seconds she was on the potty doing her business and I was still trying to figure out what had just happened.
Thankfully, she was able to hold it until Joe delivered the potty and so I assisted in the rationing of baby wipes and dispensing of the contents of the potty. Before I knew it we were back on the road. The entire incident lasted less than 5 minutes, but I will never forget the lessons in those short moments. Life really can be taken away in a blink of an eye. And even if you are one of the lucky ones to survive to a ripe old age, life goes by too quickly to waste even one moment with things that don’t really matter. Things like grudges and insecurities and fear and resentment. All I could think as I held on to Captain next to was “We aren’t done living yet! God please help us!” I swear there must have been an angel sent to help me pull that dog away from the road, because I have no idea how I was able to keep him from going forward, and for that I am eternally grateful.
After the incident my husband and I were talking about all of the possible outcomes for the day and we both agreed that next time no one gets out of the car. All of that risk over a little bit of poop was not worth it. Later that evening after we were home safe and unpacking from the trip, Joe came out of nowhere and gave me the tightest, biggest bear hug and the sweetest kiss. When I asked what it was for he said that he just imagined his life without me and it scared him, then he kissed me on the forehead again and said “I am so glad you are my wife”. These are the moments I want to spend my life on, appreciating my family and friends while they are right here right now, because while there are no guarantees they will always be here with me, I don’t even want to imagine life without them. So hug the ones you love today and remember to give them a little yellow m&m of their own to cherish.
