Wake Up Call: Another Reason to be Grateful

Yesterday afternoon I had a rather big scare. While it ended up resolved with no harm done, the terror of that moment and how I feel now are still with me.

My husband left for a job interview that morning. I kissed him goodbye and watched him leave, nicely dressed in a suit and tie.

I went about my business around the house, doing work on the computer, doing a little straightening of the dining room etc. About ten minutes after his interview was supposed to start, the phone rang. When I answered it, the recruiter on the other end of the line asked for my husband. When I said he wasn't available and asked to take a message, she told me that he had not shown up for his interview and she was looking for him.

This mildly concerned me since I knew he left early enough to get there about 15 minutes early, just in case traffic delayed him (the interview was about a half hour away). I explained that he had left with lots of extra time and gave her his cell phone number.

I tried not to worry but I admit that I was a little concerned. Still, I went about my morning the best I could. Imagine my horror when almost 30 minutes later she called and said that he still hadn't appeared at the interview and that she had not been able to reach him at his cell phone. She said they were rescheduling the interview and were disappointed. I assured her that this wasn't like him and that I was very worried.

After she hung up, I began to panic. I called his phone but got no answer. I left a message and began thinking of what might have happened. I checked the traffic reports and saw that a blue car had overturned on a nearby highway and was on fire with the driver ejected. Since my husband's car is blue, this was very worrying. The time of the accident seemed a bit late and the location was not a likely one based on the quickest route to the interview, but it was enough to make me more panicked.

I called his cell phone several times but got no response. I began thinking of calling hospitals or the police to see what I should do to find him.

Almost 1 hour and 20 minutes after he was scheduled to arrive at his interview, he called me. He had been in the interview the whole time.

Apparently the company's secretary didn't log him in and the hiring manager didn't see him arrive. He was ushered back to talk with the Vice President of the company and he felt the phone vibrate a bunch of times during the interview but couldn't answer it, of course.

Meanwhile, the hiring manager was calling the recruiter to complain about him not arriving while he was being interviewed just down the hall.

I was worried for nothing. Those visions of him being injured or even dying, lying by the side of the road with a burning car, were all--thankfully--false.

You can imagine my relief. I started shaking and crying when I heard his voice. I had been really, really worried about him.

We've been married almost fifteen years and I love him very much. I can't imagine my life without him. He has been my best friend for over half of my life.

Sometimes it is easy to take for granted the people we care about in our lives. We get busy doing projects, working, taking care of the day to day annoyances that make up our world.

Yesterday I was reminded about my love for my husband--and how precious he is to me.

Think about the people in your life who make a difference and arrange to spend more time with them very soon. Tell them you love them. Don't wait. Don't let things get in the way.

I hugged my husband for a long time when he finally got home and made sure he knew how much I loved him. Yesterday was a great day--just because he is in my life.