A Car Crash Clarifies All

A Car Crash Clarifies All

Yesterday was one of those eye-opening days.  I was on my way to the Mash Compound (that’s the name of my gym), just like every other day of my life.  The whole day had been spent on Mash Elite Performance (my company) business.  My head was filled with the decisions that my team had made, and the decisions that we still needed to make.

All of a sudden just five minutes before arriving at the gym, a lady in a red Cadillac SUV pulls in front of me.  We almost hit head-on as she literally just turned into my lane as if I wasn’t there.  It was so fast that I didn’t have time to hit the breaks, so I was going about 50 miles per hour making the impact feel like a bomb had gone off. 

It’s crazy how time seems to stand still during moments like that.  I felt the front wheel fly off as the front-end nose-dived into the unforgiving pavement.  At that moment I was praying that the car wasn’t going to flip.  When I finally came to a standstill, my door was jammed and the smell of gas was in the air.

We have all seen the movies where the car catches on fire, and the drive is stuck inside.  Well I wanted to get home to my family, so I moved life an NFL Wide Receiver to get out of that car.  All of this time I could only think about how close that I had just come to never seeing my family again.  I have so much to say to my boys and my daughter before I die.  I have so much love to give my wife, and Lord knows I don’t want my mom to see me die before her. 

All of this brought the memories of my competitive powerlifting days rolling back into my mind.  All that I cared about was my own glory, the next record, and my place in history.  Right around 2004 was my rise to the top.  For about two years, I was unbeatable.  I remember one interview I was asked if I would trade twenty years of my life to become the strongest powerlifter to ever live.  I answered a most definitive “yes”. 

Man was I wrong!  I hope that my children are competitive at whatever they do, but I hope that their purpose is much greater than mine was.  I wouldn’t trade one-second with my family for all the records on earth. 

Last night, my son, Rock came in our room and climbed in our bed.  He is so cute.  He does this about 75% of the time.  Each time, he brings something different with him.  Last night, he brought his Pooh Bear, pillow, and a blanket.  Some nights he brings multiple books maybe in hope that I will read them to him at 3 am.  His little mind works in such a beautiful way much like his incredible mother’s.  There is deep thought in almost everything that he does.

Last night I hoisted him into bed with us.  I turned into the bed with Rock in my arms.  I noticed that my love, Emily Drew had our newborn son, Behr in her arms.  Yes that’s four people in one bed.  A little crowded, but it was a beautiful moment for me to look over my babies and my one true love in the quiet darkness on nighttime.  We leave a small light on, so that we can navigate the room at night with two-month old Behr.  That light was all that I needed to look out over my family, and in that ever so still moment I shed a tear at the thoughts of never seeing them again.

I lied there rubbing Rock’s blond hair with one hand while using the other hand to gently touch my wife and other son.  I just wanted to feel close to the family that I was almost stripped from by death’s cold hand.  Don’t get me wrong; I am not afraid of death.  If I die, I will simply be in the arms of Christ, but my family would be without their father and husband. 

I want to be there as my children grow up.  I want to teach them about Christ.  I want them to learn from my mistakes and my successes.  I want to care for them and my wife.  Last night, I spent about an hour just watching over them and praying.  I was thanking God for giving me this moment, and yet another chance to be an even better father and husband. 

I hope that my children are just as competitive with sports and business that I was growing up.  However, I hope that they always keep things in perspective.  There are many things more important like family and loving others.  Sports can be a great way to inspire and encourage others.  If that’s your motivation, then I say win Gold baby.  If your motivation is self-glory, then you are in for a big crash every time. 

Your business can be a vehicle to help others.  You can employ other people.  Help other people reach their goals with your products and services.  You can even help point people in the direction of Christ with the way that you conduct yourself and the way that you treat other people.  Once again, it always comes down to motivation. 

Yesterday was a check on my motivations once again.  It’s always good to clarify the important parts of life.  Next time, I would prefer to simply take a day or two off to sort that out instead of a head-on collision, but God does what He wants.  For now, I am totally clear moving forwards. 

Love you guys,

Travis