A Butterfly Flaps its Wings

by Richard Wandell

Original - Not For Sale

Price

$350

Dimensions

20.000 x 16.000 x 0.250 inches

Title

A Butterfly Flaps its Wings

Artist

Richard Wandell

Medium

Painting - Acrylic On Hardboard

Description

I was about to die. I knew it. No question. I wasn’t sick, there was no gun pointed at my head but it was certain. Then a butterfly flapped its wings. I cheated death. I came as close to death as anyone can come without dying. And when it was over, in the blink of an eye, without a scratch; I lived to see another day. Since then, I have lived 41 years of another day.

It was July 30, 1977, I was 20 years old. I was home, in Madison Heights, Michigan to see my childhood friend Perry. Perry had moved to Beckley, West Virginia when we were in the 6th grade. He came back to visit and it coincided with his birthday. I told him I knew a great place in Ypsilanti called the Spaghetti Bender. We would head out to the Bender and celebrate.
Straddling a 1972 Suzuki 500 motorcycle I purchased the year before, we began the 40 mile trek, with Perry following me in his car. We dashed westbound on I-94 with partying on our minds. It was a bit after 9pm and the day was slowly turning into night. As we approached the world’s biggest tire, the Uniroyal tire in Allen Park, I was crouched down to cut the wind in my face. I was cruising at about 65 miles per hour in the far left lane; Perry still trailing behind me.

I must have been looking elsewhere, perhaps at the 86-foot tall tire. All I know is when my eyes came back to the freeway as it began to bend, a car was stopped - in my lane. When I say the car was in my lane, I mean, IT WAS IN MY LANE! STOPPED! No lights, no other cars near it. It was as if someone parked there, making no attempt to get out of the way. To top it off, there he was, standing with his back to me about to open the trunk. He appeared to have no fear of the situation. But that would change as he heard the roar of my approach.

So much flashed through my head. Most people have no idea how much you can process at a moment like that. But paramount, right then, at that instant, was the fact that my life was about to end. I gripped the handlebar brake tight and when I did, I felt the rear tire moving sideways behind my left shoulder. I immediately let go of the brake and when I let go I felt the entire bike fishtail to the right. I could see the face of Mr. I have no clue as he turned. He was looking over his left shoulder. That’s when he saw his life flash before his eyes.

A moment later I was looking at the rear right edge of his car, no more than 6 inches from the fender doing 60 miles an hour. I literally was between the car and the white stripe. Suddenly I was clear, and I was alive. However, it wasn’t over.
I waited for the crash. I knew that Perry could not do what I just did in a car. It would not be possible. But there was no crash. As I sat rigid on that tank of a bike, looking forward, I could see Perry’s car pulling up beside me out of the corner of my eye. He rolled his window down with his left hand and looked at me knowingly, then loudly proclaimed, we almost bought that one!

A butterfly flapped its wings in Allen Park, Michigan and what should have happened, didn’t. Recently I have been thinking about that butterfly’s wings and how I survived. What I think about most, is all the days, from that day until now; everything that has happened, all that I would have missed, and all that is yet to come.
I think of my daughter and her children who would not exist had I not made it through that bend in the road. I think of the joy the world would miss without them in it. I think of my wife and how she saved me from obscurity. I think of our family; six glorious children, seven beautiful grandchildren and my role in all those lives. I realize my life has meaning.

Every day is a gift. Make the most of it.

Uploaded

September 30th, 2018

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