Having a Bad Day?

So, you think you are having a bad day? What is your definition of a bad day?
• Did you turn off the alarm clock, overslept, and were late for work?
• Has everything you have done today seemed wrong?
• Did you forget your wedding anniversary?
• Did your favorite team lose the game?
• Were you unhappy with The Sopranos final episode?
• Did you find you couldn’t get online to check your email?
• You had to wait in line at the store?
Let me tell you what having a really bad day is like. Ben Carpenter of Kalamazoo, Michigan, had a bad day on Wednesday, June 6. Ben has muscular dystrophy which confines him to a wheelchair. He was visiting in nearby Paw Paw to see a friend.
As Ben was crossing a street, strapped in his wheelchair, the traffic light changed. A semi-trailer truck driver didn’t see Ben and started moving his truck forward. The truck turned Ben’s wheelchair forward and the handles became lodged in the massive truck’s grille. The truck continued moving forward pushing Ben in his wheelchair ahead of it.
The truck picked up speed as the driver sought to make up lost time. Soon he was traveling at 50 m.p.h. All the while, Ben and his wheel chair had become the unintentional hood ornament for this semi moving down the highway. Imagine that, going 50 m.p.h. in a wheelchair!
Ben’s friend was horrified when she realized what had happened. Frantically, she flagged down a motorist to tell him what had happened. The motorist took off after the truck, relentlessly blowing his horn. Meanwhile the friend called 911 pleading for help from the police.
Quickly police cars responded. They managed to get the bewildered trucker stopped after about four miles. The trip had worn all the rubber off the wheelchair’s wheels. By the grace of God, Ben was uninjured and none the worse for the experience. In fact he told the officers “It was quite a ride!”
So, the next time you think you are having a bad day, remember Ben Carpenter. Your day is probably not as bad as being a grill adornment for a semi. It’s all a matter of perspective.