Old yeller

Yesterday morning on my way to work, traffic came to a standstill. Three lanes of inertia. Except for the HOV lane. I was in the middle lane. I noticed a car two vehicles up in the left lane make a move for the HOV lane.

Glass and plastic exploded across the interstate. After the impact, one car sat facing traffic. One was crushed into the median. A third car sat askew about 50 feet down the road. Suddenly the traffic ahead was gone. I shook my head as if I had been in the wreck. People jumped out of their cars and ran to help the drivers who were surely injured. I froze for a second, then reached for my cell and dialed 911. Someone had beaten me to it said the operator, so I led the cars behind me around the crash and drove to work.

I question my reaction. Why did I not get out and check on the wounded? Why was I not first to call 911? Maybe I don't measure up as a human. I already know I'm not a nice or good person overall, but I'd like to think I would react sufficiently, if not heroically, in a crisis.

I planned to spend this weekend soul searching, but it's my weekend with the kids and we're going to the movies. They want to see the Christmas film Frost Nixon. Sounds like a light-hearted holiday romp where a snowman becomes president or something. But I haven't read anything about it.