Marshall Ramsey

Bob McJones lived in tough times. His job was threatened; he worked long hours. The poor man was totally miserable. Stress was corroding his soul.  He barely had time to eat lunch and when he did, he wolfed down his food.  It was Tuesday and he ran next door to the fast food taco joint to order the cheapest special on the cheap menu.  He grabbed a spork and took a quick bite.

His wife had told him that eating too fast would kill him. She was right.

As he dropped to the floor choking on his 99¢ Burrito, he began to lose consciousness. The world around him became blurry and started to fade to black. Then, a bright, brilliant light came at him like a train.  It bathed him in warm light as he felt the grip of gravity release.  Was he in Heaven? He felt neither fear or peace.

Up ahead where two doors.  They weren’t Heaven or Hell — no, each represented a particular path his life could take from that point on.  He floated toward them with little effort and stared at their golden handles.  Both opened, allowing him to see what was beyond.  He looked into what must have been his current life.

In a year, his wife had left him. He had been laid off because his attitude had deteriorated and he was put on the list for layoffs. Once known for his humor, he had lost his smile.  People got tired of his complaining. His wife was the last to give up on him.  He had gained 20 pounds and was at risk of a heart attack. The weight, poor food choices and the stress caused a tumor to begin growing inside of him.  Bob McJones was dying from the inside out.

Bob pulled his head out of the doorway looking for the scary ghost from Scrooge. But he wasn’t Scrooge. Scrooge wasn’t a victim — Scrooges of the world were the problem. Bob McJones was a victim and he’d be the first to tell you. Life had been unfair to HIM.

Bob McJones was choking on more than a 99¢ Burrito.

Bob reached out and opened the other door.  There was his wife smiling. She looked as beautiful as the day they got married.  And then Bob was in an office — a different office — with the biggest smile on his face. He was busy, whistling and stopped for a moment to compliment one of his coworkers on a job well done.  His boss came by and complimented him on his work.  Bob was thinner, younger looking and happier.  And had seized life by the reigns.  Life was taking him special places.

He pulled back out of the doorway once again and realized the sole difference between the two doors: Him.  His attitude. How he approached his life.  The tumor growing inside of him was his anger.  And anger was leading him down the wrong path.

He was shocked back into awareness by sudden pressure around his chest. Another tightness and the whiteness went away.  And then one more compression and the 99¢ Burrito flew across the room and hit the floor.

Bob McJones had a 14-year-old Boy Scout to thank for performing the Heimlich maneuver and saving his life. And he had a 99¢ Burrito to thank for making that life better.  He picked up his spork off the floor and stuck it in his pocket.  It was a small souvenir from the day he had come to a spork in the road. He smiled and headed down his new path.