Laying on DD's couch as nausea ebbed and flowed, we opted for Oprah. A working mom of two came on to tell her Story of how she left her 2 year old in a hot car for 8 hours with fatal consequences.
An assistant principal - first day of school. It was usually the husband job to take the two girls to different day cares but a dentist appointment left the job to the mother that morning. She was too early to drop her child at the day care so she went to get donuts for the teachers. The security camera captures her taking the donuts out of the back of her vehicle and going in the building. She goes through her day, even talking about her kids but is so focused, she never remembers her daughter is in the car. About four o'clock, a teacher comes is to tell her that she passed her car and the her daughter was in there. She runs out with her keys and opens the door. Even as she looks at her daughter, she knows she is dead. Physical details make it obvious.
There were 33 kids in the US that died because of being left in cars last year. Most of the rest of the program was about people being overwhelmed trying to do it ALL and making mistakes like this one. If that is really the case, we have some big issues that need to be addressed but what really grabbed me was when the mom said she was so focused on her day, all she had to do that she was not in the Moment and that is why this happened.
Is it possible that not only is living in the Moment good for the soul but even could save a life? Have we really got to a place as a culture that being overwhelmed is leading to choices that are life changing? I have my own questions and am trying not to be overly judgemental. The whole highway hypnosis thing - where you are driving down the road and all of a sudden, you realized you have lost a few minutes -I get that, 8 hours I don't get. I am not very good at compartmentalize life but understand that some people do work that way. There was mention that something had happened similar to this before with the older girl ( to be fair, I didn't see the whole piece) and it did not serve as a wake up call for the mom. I also don't know if she faced any criminal charges. I have my own opinion about that too but understand that she will live in her own hell for the rest of her life.
What was also mind-boggling was listening to Oprah's three producers talking about how their lives have changed. They told how they have thought about this Story everyday since they have been worked on it and have made some changes in their own lives. Any good that can come from this can only help.
So my question is am I overwhelmed and if I am - DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Ask it 100 times a day, whatever it takes. Don't let yourself make a mistake of this magnitude for something you have control over. We can't do it all, let it go, understand and embrace your humanness. Life is too short to live unpurposefully...
