Appointments

My first trip to Topeka for meeting a new doctor was a little traumatic. There had been ice on the road that morning which lingered on the overpasses and bridges, as it does, and caused a lot of accidents. Most of the accidents were relatively minor, but there was one that was deeply sobering. There was a truck that had obviously rolled over and came to rest on its top. It was partially blocking the left lane of traffic so we all had to move past very slowly in the right lane. The first responders were all in the ditch on the other side of the road and I couldn't see what they were doing.

Usually when I pass an accident, I pray that those involved are well and/or recover quickly. But this rolled over truck was so jarring, I couldn't even articulate a prayer and in fact, just burst into tears. Then I noticed this remarkable thing. Usually after passing an obstacle that slows down traffic, people are in a rush to speed back up so several cars will pop out into the left lane and zoom. But this time no one did that. I mean, for at least a mile ahead of me there was a solid line of traffic in the right lane gradually speeding up together but no one broke the line. It was like a funeral procession.

About the moment people shook it off and started changing lanes again, we had to slow down again for a more spectacular accident. That accident involved a lot of big trucks and it got all the press, but it didn't have the chilling effect of the previous one. I haven't seen any reports of fatalities, so I'm hoping for the best for all involved.

The doctor was thorough and quick. I've been poked and prodded and assessed. Some tests have been done which I should hear about on Monday. So now the waiting.