Dreamcatcher

Ah, to be reading some Stephen King again! I've taken a several month hiatus from King's works to taste other literary pleasures. But now that I'm working my way through his 2001 release, "Dreamcatcher", I feel like I'm getting re-acquainted with an old friend! As with almost every King book, I was hooked within the first dozen pages!

There's a scene in "Dreamcatcher" I thought was worthy of telling you about via Engel's Ensights. In this chapter, a professor, Jonesey, is thinking back on a recent accident. As he was crossing the street, he was struck by an elderlly driver. Later, they discovered the old man was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Thoughts turned from punishment to pity. As Jonesey lamented the life-changing injuries he received, his thoughts were this:

So often, Jonesey thought, there was no one to blame when the dust cleared. And, even if there was, what good did it do? You still had to live with what was leftand console yourself to the fact that, as people told him every day(until they forgot the whole thing, that was), it could have been worse. And it could have been!

King himself was hit just two years prior to the release of this book and, as coincidence would have it, suffered many of the injuries of his character. And the character's thoughts mirror my own philosophies closely.

After all, blame doesn't end pain. Blame tends to prolong the healing process. Blame doesn't ease the feelings of vulnerability. Blame doesn't do much at all, come to think of it.

When something horrific happens, even if there is an undeniable perp, thequestion must(sooner or later) become: What am I going to do now? This shows a desire to continue with life, to prevent the tragedy from overtaking the rest of life and, above all other things, shows it's simply an aspect of life-not life itself.

Whether it's from me, King or the fictional Jonesey, do what we all three did: accept it and move on.