Fair Warning

Tomorrow I will attend the funeral of a great man who was just a few months younger than me. It still doesn't seem real - I keep expecting to run into him around town. Today at lunch I thought I saw him... but of course that wasn't him. Tallen won't ever join me for lunch again - because somebody got behind the wheel when they'd been drinking.

One of the things that I have struggled with is the fact that I too have driven when I shouldn't have. Not often, but it only takes once. When I think of the lives that I could have affected... my blood runs cold. When you're young you think only of the consequence of getting caught. The longer you live, you know the consequences to be much more serious. I have a great friend who is living in a wheelchair because of a drunk driver. And now I've lost a friend, a wife has lost her husband, a daughter has lost her Dad.

The day after Tallen was killed, I witnessed someone get behind the wheel who should not have been driving. I don't know why I didn't stop them. I don't know if I could have lived with myself if something had happened. I feel like I owe an apology to anyone whose lives have been affected by a drunk driver. I am sorry for my inaction.

It won't happen again. My friends, family, and anyone who drinks around me... consider this fair warning. I am NOT out to ruin your good time...you can drink all you want. Drink until you fall down. But when you take a step towards the wheel of a car... I will be asking for your keys. If you refuse to give them up, I will reach for my phone. As you pull away, I'll be calling 911. I will tell the police where to find you, what your vehicle looks like, your license plate number and how much you've been drinking.

Fair warning. I owe this to a lot of people. To Ray. To Tallen. To his family. And to you.