Not a Rock Star

Obviously, when a loved one calls with news of an accident the first thing you have to do is to remember to breathe. It seems that they can't talk fast enough for you to get the whole story. I'm so grateful that Kevin is going to be okay but what's really bothering me at this point is the comments that are being made on the news article of Kevin's accident. I have not read them personally but my sister has told me that along with all the well wishers are "kids" posting things like "skateboarders rule" and things like that. Essentially making Kevin a rock star. He's not. He is one EXTREMELY lucky young man. This could sooooo easily have gone the other way - call it karma or whatever you want but it just wasn't his time. How do we get through to these kids that they are not invincible? We don't want to take your bikes and your skateboards and your motorcycles away but what we want is for you to play smart. There is a reason that safety equipment is made and improved upon year after year. I'm not so naive to think that it is foolproof in the event of an accident but it damn sure strenghtens the odds in your favor. THIS is what I want people to learn from my nephew's accident; life is precious and there are no guarantees. Be smart. If not for yourself then for your loved ones. This is hard. Hard from the outside looking in...hard from 17 hours away...hard to listen to your sister cry and know that there isn't anything you can do but say you are sorry. Kevin has a long road ahead of him but he's lucky. WE'RE lucky. Kevin...please, please, PLEASE learn from this and know how quickly it could all be gone. Count your blessings - daily. If you love someone - tell them. This is all too important.