Peggy Matthews Rose (Lake Forest, CA) has partnered with Pat Williams on the book
Read for your Life and is currently working with Williams and Dr. Eugene Griessman on
Leadership the Lincoln Way.
Pat Williams, one of the country's top motivational and inspirational speakers, is Senior Vice President of the Orlando Magic and has more than 39 years of professional sports experience. Before joining the Central Florida pro basketball effort in 1986, Williams spent 12 seasons as General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, taking them from a 34-48 record in 1974-75 to a World Championship title in 1983. Pat has written 19 books, including his version of the birth of the Orlando Magic, entitled
Making Magic, and his autobiography,
Ahead of the Game and
A Lifetime of Success.
Michael Weinreb is former sports feature writer for the Akron Beacon Journal. He has won numerous state and national writing awards from the Associated Press sports editors.
Karyn Williams (Nashville, TN) is making her mark in the world of Country & Christian music. At the age of twenty-eight, she is well on her way to creating a name for herself in an industry every bit as competitive as professional sports.
Chapter 1
Wear Your Seat Belt
It was July 28, 1995, and the morning of my sixteenth birthday. I was the first person in line at the Orlando Driver's License Bureau. As one of the last in my grade to reach that magical age, I was itching to get behind the wheel by myself. Once I've got that license, I thought, look out, Orlando, here I come!
I'd studied so hard to learn the rules of the road, but when that actual test was in front of me, why did they have to ask those questions? But somehow I managed them and made it outside to the actual driving test. Sitting there with an adult who wasn't my dad made me pretty nervous, but eventually I passed the test and got my license.
I couldn't believe it when my parents bought me a car. I was on top of the world! With so many siblings (there are nineteen of us and yes, you read that correctly—nineteen), in no time I became chauffeur to my younger brothers and sisters. Not quite the glamour gigs I had in mind, but at least I was the one at the wheel. I felt so grown-up and ready for anything.
As we left the house, we would always hear Dad shout, 'Wear your seat belt—it's a death trap out there!' 'Okaaaay, Dad,' we'd groan. I thought I was so grown-up, but I was only sixteen, after all. How was I to know then that Dad was right?
What I love to do more than anything in the world is sing, so with my brand-new license, I gladly accepted an invitation to sing at a church in Jacksonville, Florida. It was my first big road trip by myself. Here I am, world! I made the two-hour drive from Orlando to Jacksonville in one piece, sang at the church service, and the weekend was a success—a piece of cake! I floated on home.
I was driving down I-95 that Sunday afternoon, listening to the Judds sing their perfect harmonies, when a car cut over into my lane unexpectedly and the driver hit the brakes. I didn't know what to do. With adrenaline now rushing through my system, I instinctively slammed on my brakes, too, and jerked the wheel to avoid hitting the car. My brakes locked up. Before I knew it, I'd lost control of the car. My heart was in my throat as I felt the car begin spinning and spinning in circles. This is it! I thought. Get ready to meet the Lord! I kept waiting for the impact. Then the spinning stopped and the car was on its side, sliding. Any moment now! Be merciful, Lord! It's amazing how long a few seconds can seem when you think they are your last.
At long last the car stopped—upside down in a ditch on the side of the road. Three thoughts flashed through my mind in rapid succession:
1. I'm still here! I'm alive! Astonished, I drew in slow, deep breaths to be sure.
2. Get out of the car—now! Still breathing.
3. Dad's gonna kill me!
My heart was pounding, but otherwise I was okay. Eventually, I fumbled at the seat belt latch, unbuckled it, and crawled across the roof to get out of the car. Amazingly, I walked away with nothing but scrapes on my hands and knees, most of which occurred getting out of the car. I wouldn't have won any beauty contests that night, but for the moment I was so grateful to be alive, and so glad I'd had that seat belt on.
If you've ever been in an accident, you know that the days and weeks that follow are not fun. There are the calls to the insurance company, miles of forms to fill out, and the emotional trauma that always lingers, jarring you from your sleep at night and occupying most of your waking hours as well. Where do you go to find normal again?
I worried about what Dad was thinking. After all, he had just bought me that car. The accident occurred two months to the day since I had gotten my driver's license, and it didn't take long to find out my car was completely totaled. But physically, I was fine. 'Karyn, that's all I care about,' Dad said. 'Cars can be replaced. I just want my little girl safe.' I couldn't help feeling guilty about the accident, but in time I believed him. And I don't groan anymore when Dad says, 'Wear your seat belt!' In fact, I'm the drippy faucet begging everyone to wear their seat belts! If I didn't have his voice in my head every time I got into a car, if I hadn't been belted in on that day, there is no way I'd have walked away from that accident unharmed.
So many people—especially young people who think they're invincible—act like they're 'too cool' to wear a seat belt. Trust me, when your car is flying through the air or screeching across the highway, you do not have the power to save yourself. If you think you do, you're likely to be dead wrong! Or you're only going a few miles down the road and you think, What could possibly happen? Do you really want to find out? Seat belts were invented for a reason. It only takes a split second for an accident to happen. If you don't take the time to click your seat belt in advance, it will be too late when that second splits in front of your startled eyes.
Think of it this way: if you're sitting in a moving car without a seat belt, you should feel as naked as if you weren't wearing clothes. Highways are death traps. Have you ever noticed that most of us are doing other things while driving? No matter how many laws we pass, the roads will always be full of distracted drivers. We're talking on our cell phones, text messaging, reading, eating, or putting on makeup. I'm appalled at recent trends to put DVD players right up front—so the driver can see it, too! What are those manufacturers thinking? When we're driving, more than any other time, we need to focus. We don't need more distractions.
Most of what you'll read in the following chapters is about how my dad has taught me to take risks, to go for it, and not let anything stop me from putting myself 'out there,' becoming and remaining a viable force in my generation. While life may be about taking risks to succeed, driving is most certainly not. Don't be foolish! Don't jeopardize your life or the lives of others. If you care about your family at all, if you care about yourself (and you know you do; after all, who's the first person you look at in the mirror every morning?), please, please, please buckle up! If you need a little help remembering, just picture my car upside down in a ditch.
©2009. Pat Williams, Karyn Williams. All rights reserved. Reprinted from The Takeaway. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
