In life, there are moments when the unexpected unfolds. We’ve all seen those times. Yet. Every so often, that “unexpected” thing has resulted in tragic consequences. Things that leave a lasting impact.
Today, I have tales about these things. Three different incidents, each marked by its own peculiar circumstance. They give us all a hard reminder of the fragility of life.
The first.
A story about a guy named Garry Hoy. He was a corporate lawyer in Toronto. He had this peculiar party trick that he enjoyed showing to visitors in his office. It was said that the building’s windows were unbreakable. So good old Gary would hurl himself against the seemingly unbreakable windows.
But. One day, in 1993, it seemed those windows had had enough. And with that? Gary’s little stunt took a fatal turn. Instead of the window holding firm, it popped out of its frame, sending him plummeting to his death. I can imagine what that must have felt like for his office guests. Nonetheless, that was the end of Gary and his trick.
The second.
This story is pretty well known. It is about Isadora Duncan, the celebrated dancer known for her avant-garde performances.
She met her untimely end in a freak accident involving her trademark accessory. She nearly always wore a long red scarf.
While driving her convertible sports car, the scarf became entangled in the wheel, pulling her from the vehicle and onto the street below. Really, it was a cruel twist of fate. The symbol of her artistic expression became the thing that killed her. The irony in one of life’s tragedies.
The third.
This story comes from my favorite National Park. Yellowstone. A guy named Colin Scott apparently thought he was smarter than the park. He made a poor decision to deviate from safety protocols.
Colin ignored the warning signs posted by park officials. He decided he was going to take a little thermal soak. So he went into a forbidden area and went into the scalding waters. The outcome was not pretty. The extreme acidity and heat scalded him to death. Oh, those consequences of recklessness and stupidity. If I were the park ranger, I might have been tempted to post a sign saying, “I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.”
These three stories. The unexpected. And so it goes.
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“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.” – W.M. Lewis
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“You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. But you keep putting one foot in front of the other.” – Tom Hiddleston
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“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu
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The unexpected. Sometimes, it’s not so good.
