I was fortunate enough to have touched base recently with a wonderful woman I knew as a child through H.S. (via Facebook). We had lunch earlier this week and caught up. Her name is Ann and there is a reason I was friends with her when we were younger. She has a wonderful spirit about her (30 some years later), seems to have her act together and is happy with her lot in life.
Though she did tell me some disturbing news. Another woman I knew from grade school through high school (34 years since we graduated) has had multiple problems with alcohol since college. She was arrested numerous times for DUI until 1997 when she ran down a woman walking along the road on the Sammamish Plateau, killing her. Once she was released from prison in '03 she was arrested again for another DUI.
This made me start thinking about the different paths our lives take. I know that there are a lot of substance abusers out there - but don't most of them NOT drive when they are under the influence. What made this woman think it was ok to get behind the wheel after consuming enough alcohol to blow a .34 on a breathalyzer?
Could that have been any of us? This woman had so much promise, graduating from college Cum Laude.
And now she has ruined how many lives? Hers, her husbands, her kids, her victim's family as well as taking a life.
While I am not perfect I try to do my best and have recently come to the realization that it's time for me to give back - in whatever way I can.
Why do people choose that type of path? And why can't they stop themselves? To destroy that many lives.... so very, very sad...
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About Me
- keatime
- I am a middle aged woman, well-traveled but finally settled into one spot, back home in the Pacific Northwest. I enjoy traveling with my husband, playing with my three ratties and seeing my kids/step-kids healthy and happy.
I found your post interesting only because I can relate to various parts of it. I think that it's unfortunate about the high school friend that found her self on a path of destruction but know from my own path, that could have been me at an earlier point in my life. I was fortunate/blessed to wake up before I headed too far down the road but I can tell you, those on the fringes of my life and what they "thought" I was all about, would never understand how I could have been self destructive. I think the woman with the .34 BAC didn't care - didn't care about herself or anyone else and NEVER thought that getting behind the wheel drunk would result in her doing damage to anyone but her. With that much alcohol in her system, my guess is she didn't feel a thing; emotionally, mentally, physically so in answer to your question of, "What made her think?" With that alcohol content I'm sure there was no thinking going on...I do "agree" that our paths are chosen by us, whether good or bad, destructive or generous but I don't have any answers to, "Why can't they stop themselves?" I luckily stopped mine before it got out of control!!
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