“There can be only one”

Can you remember that feeling of invincibility when you were younger? Maybe you don’t remember it, but you might have done things then that you wouldn’t dream of doing now.

I can clearly remember actually feeling like I was invincible.

Or immortal, as Christopher Lambert had me believe.

And, immortal or not, you would do scary things, sometimes get hurt, pick yourself up and brush yourself down, looking for the next thing to do, the next thing to get the adrenalin pumping. There is of course, no reason why you can’t continue doing crazy things until old age (if your body allows it) but the thing which undoubtedly changes your perspective on things or at least it should (at least in my book) is children.

As much as I have always wanted to take part in a sponsored parachute jump, should I really do it? Just in case?

I know you can’t live your life hiding behind the sofa, scared to try something new but you at least have to consider the implications.

Don’t you?

A friend once told us that a couple she knew would always travel on separate aeroplanes when going on business “just in case”. At least this way, if one of their planes went down, one of them would be there for the children.

And yes, I appreciate that business and adrenalin sports aren’t exactly the same thing but you get my drift.

There is of course, a world of difference between choosing to do something risqué and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

My ride home from work takes me across Clapham Common and yesterday, the main road alongside the common was completely blocked by a multitude of emergency vehicles.

“Just great,” I said to myself. “What now?”

Following the directed traffic around– and a good distance from – the blockage, I glanced across at what might have caused the hold up. At first I only saw the huge oak tree lying on its’ side. It wasn’t until I stopped in the queue and looked back that I saw what was left of a very large white Mercedes van lying underneath the fallen tree, having been caught at a set of traffic lights. The tree had landed squarely on top of the cab and I spent the rest of my journey home hoping that whoever was in the van had got out in one piece.

He didn’t.

The flowers marking the spot this morning set alarm bells ringing and the news confirmed it.

When your time's up, there's nothing you can do about it.