I wanted to wish each of you a Happy 4^th of July.  I know the picture above is not what you would expect from a 4^th of July e-mail. It is a picture of my windshield after a chance encounter.  I’ve known many of you as a friend, client, or peer for the past 20 years.  And wanted to share a quick story before the 4^th of July holiday.  It is a stark reminder for each of us to take advantage of the time we have with friends and family.

What happened?

A few weeks ago, I was leaving my house to go to Denver for some early meetings.  I have done the same drive hundreds of time.  Skies were clear, the sun was up, and I was going about 15 below the 55 speed limit on a major highway.  I always drive slow in this area as I have seen many large animals.

As I rounded a blind corner that was heavily wooded a very large Elk popped out of the brush and clipped the Front passenger side.  Due to the height of the Elk, the car hit him in the lower legs.  As the Elk fell, he hit the hood and then bounced with a direct path into the driver’s side windshield.

The elk was soon airborne coming directly towards my face.  I put up my hands to keep him from hitting me.  As the Elk hit the windshield, I could feel the side of the Elk hit my hand as glass tore into my palm and forearms.  At the same time, I saw the rear-view mirror fly past my head as the windshield broke into thousands of tiny pieces covering me with glass.  I felt a big thump as the Elk hit the top of the car and fell off to the side.   The car finally came to a stop.  The whole event took felt like eternity, but likely took less than 5 seconds.

The crazy part is I walked away with only a few cuts and the car was still drivable!   I have to give a quick shout out to Subaru as the car likely saved my life by auto braking a few seconds before I could hit the brakes, slowing me down to lessen the impact of the hit.

A wake up call

It was a terrifying experience to have a thousand-pound animal flying towards your face.  The severity of the accident really didn’t hit me until I got home and looked at the car with a shattered windshield and blood everywhere.  My wife and kids were hysterical after seeing the car.

Like many of you, I’m always busy.  There is always another loan to close or property to lease or sell.  This event is a good reminder for all of us to slow down a little in life to appreciate what we have.  It is important to remember that life can sometimes be random and a “chance encounter” can be right around the corner.

As all of us take time off to enjoy the summer holiday, please look at the pics above and take a minute to slow down and be thankful for our freedom, the men and women who sacrificed for this privilege, as well as the time you have with friends, family, and loved ones.  I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday weekend with no “chance encounters” 😊

I need your help!

Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to wire money to your long-lost cousin that is going to give you a million dollars if you just send them your bank account!  I do need your help though, please like and share our articles on linked in, twitter, facebook, and other social media.  I would greatly appreciate it.

Written by Glen Weinberg, COO/ VP Fairview Commercial Lending.  Glen has been published as an expert in hard money lending, real estate valuation, financing, and various other real estate topics in the Colorado Real Estate Journal, the CO Biz Magazine, The Denver Post, The Scotsman mortgage broker guide, Mortgage Professional America and various other national publications.

Fairview is the recognized leader in Colorado Hard Money and Colorado private lending focusing on residential investment properties and commercial properties  both in Denver and throughout the state. We are the Colorado experts having closed thousands of loans throughout the state.

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