One Fall, One Reminder: Why We Should Never Take Life for Granted
By Jerry McCorkle
Recently, I fell while jogging and slammed my knee on the pavement, rupturing my quad tendon. It required surgery and has significantly limited my mobility— it’s kind of a lengthy recovery for a guy as antsy as I am.
Compared to what many people go through, it’s not that big of a deal. But as I approach 69, it’s a reminder—things begin to change.
We slow down.
Sickness comes.
Things we once did without thinking become difficult… or eventually, impossible.
In Humans of New York—a collection of real-life stories capturing everyday moments of people in New York City by Brandon Stanton—one man shared:
“My wife fell and now she’s inside with two broken legs. It’s hard for me to see her like this. We used to teach dance classes at the Astoria Ballroom—Latin dancing, the mambo, the jitterbug. Now all she can do is look out the window.”
That line stays with me.
There will come a time in all of our lives when, whether through physical limitation or decline of mind, all we may be able to do is look out the window.
And maybe that’s not a tragedy—it’s simply a season we all must pass through.
But it is a reminder:
Don’t take anything for granted.
The walk.
The strength.
The freedom.
The people beside you.
These are gifts—fleeting, fragile, and meant to be cherished while we have them.
“Lord, make me aware of my end and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am. In fact, you have made my days just inches long, and my life span is as nothing to you.
–– Psalm 39:4-5 (CSB)
