Damage from an adjacent apartment in our building caused by a fire on Feb. 28, 2022. (Photo Credit/Berlin MD Fire Company)

Need another reason why you can’t take any moment in life for granted because your life can forever be changed in an instant?

Well, here ya go…

This is the apartment and balcony that were damaged in a fire that broke out in our building around 5am last Monday morning. You see the second window down from the fire scene? That’s my wife Shelly and I’s bedroom window.

That’s how it close it was to really hitting home.

So much could have gone wrong that morning.

I could have left the building on time for my workout at the gym instead of heading back in to use the restroom.

Shelly, our 11-year-old son Zach, and 5-year-old hound dog Tulip could have remained asleep.

Our neighbors’ door could have been locked (not sure why it wasn’t since they weren’t home, but I’m glad it wasn’t because two neighbors and I were able to enter the apartment to extinguish the fire and save their dog).

The fire could have continued to grow to other units in the building, including ours, with my family inside – with so many families inside.

And yet, so many of us wait for the “right” time to do things in life we want to do but are too afraid to do.

I was one of those people for far too long, but incidents like these further cement in my mind that I was foolish to live my life that way. We’re not guaranteed anything in this world, except that one day we’re going to die.

And that day can come a lot sooner than we expect. Facts are facts.

So my advice to you – take that risk, see where it takes you, celebrate success and learn from failure.

Or keep waiting, and possibly never get that chance again to see what you can accomplish.

It’s your choice. You always have a choice…

Until the day it’s taken away from you.