My constant encouragement of you to wear your safety equipment and follow safe procedures has had an impact on me. I figure I need to walk the talk.
So, I’ve done stuff to be safer. I quit driving so fast that I get tickets a few years ago. I quit texting when I drive. Those are most risky activities.
It also has drifted into my personal life. As I told you, I have been skiing this week. Some skiers wear helmets. Others don’t.
For awhile, I didn’t. I figured I didn’t ski fast, only skied once or twice a year and didn’t take risks. Why invest in a helmet?
But, a few years ago, I noticed that most people who skied a great deal had helmets. With encouragement of some friends, we splurged and bought the helmet. I faithfully have worn it since.
This week I was skiing along on an easy path and somehow tangled up my feet (not hard to imagine right?). I found myself sliding along a track and my momentum carried me over a path edge where I dropped about 30 feet before I came to a rest.
During the journey, I lost my skis and bumped my head on a tree.
Gratefully, I wasn’t hurt. With help, I climbed back up the hill and continued on my way.
At the end of the day, we were talking about my trip off the side of the hill and we began to inspect my helmet. It was splintered in pieces.
Only then did I realize how fortunate I was to have committed to a helmet. An impact that would splinter a helmet right above my ear could have done a great deal of damage to my brain had it been unprotected.
Sometimes circumstances come together in a great hurry that put your physical being at risk. It happens in an instant. The protective measures required in our plants are put there because someone has had the experience to know how to minimize the impact of those circumstances.
As I have said before, accidents can alter your life and all the folks who you impact. What may seem inconvenient or overly cautious to some, was determined by some thoughtful people that it would keep you safer. Why chance it when it is proven?
