my heart is sad, today, for a tragedy that reminds me just how small this world is. on wednesday, a man doing the Tour Divide race (bike race along the continental divide from canada to new mexico) had a collision with a truck just north of Steamboat. he was pronounced brain dead yesterday. my friend laura was the ER doctor who saw him, and mentioned he was from connecticut. of course, i was sad to hear about this accident.

this morning i learned that he was from montpelier. my eye caught the small newspaper headline "Bicyclist brain-dead: Vermont man was in North Routt on endurance race" as i was walking out of the gym. i flipped to the article and saw that he was from montpelier. suddenly it all felt way too close. this man, who has lived in the community i was raised in, ate at my favorite spots, shopped at the co-op, went to the farmers market, biked the same trails, hiked the same mountains and crossed paths, i'm sure, with so many people i know. and here he was, in colorado, enjoying the beauty of this area and taking in sights i have seen so often. what are the chances? of course, i don't know him. i don't know his wife. i don't know his 4 year old daughter. but i feel connected to them through both of these places, and i feel so sad for them. it feels surreal to see such similar articles printed in both the Steamboat Pilot and in the Times Argus.

it is yet another (haven't we had enough recently?) reminder to appreciate every day with the ones you love.