Life Happens. No matter how well-planned we are, there’s always those unexpected occurrences that arrive seemingly from nowhere, presenting us with situations that can be amusing, exciting, irritating, or sometimes frightening. Even with the best-laid plans, there’s no way to account for every variable, and expecting the unexpected in often easier thought of than actually accomplished.
Many years ago, long before fatherhood and my transformation into The Rock Father, my wife and I ran into our fair share of unexpected, and vastly irritating circumstances. One thing that comes to mind is a situation with a pair of cars we’d owned in the late 1990s – a ’97 Ford Escort Wagon, and a ’98 Ford Escort LS. Both small and economical (and both purchased new from an old baseball coach of mine), both cars also served as some sort of lightning rod for unexplained collisions – while parked. For whatever reason, both cars found themselves getting crashed into while parked, twice each… four accidents in total.
While the first collision might have been the most entertaining (an elderly woman at the wheel of an out-of-control station wagon plowing through a grocery store parking lot smashing eight vehicles along the way), the second was the scariest – and one that could’ve ended in tragedy had the timing been a few minutes different. I’d just come home from work and parked the Escort Wagon in the parking lot of our then-apartment. By the time I got to our home on the second floor, the car had been smashed into on the passenger side with enough force to move it by three spaces. The culprit? A GMC truck that was accidentally left in gear while dropping off someone at the entrance to our building. Had I arrived just a few minutes later, it could’ve taken me out along with the car.
Irritating and unexpected, but Life Happens.
It’s moments like that one that make you pull back and take stock in where you’re at. Now, as a husband and father with two young daughters, it’s more important than ever that my wife and I are prepared should anything happen to either one of us. September is “Life Insurance Awareness Month,” a fact I wasn’t aware of until the non-profit LIFE Foundation got in touch to facilitate a conversation about the importance of life insurance. The LIFE Foundation does not endorse any product, company, or insurance advisor, but they seek to educate consumers on the importance of safeguarding the financial security of their families should the unexpected happen. Honestly, we probably don’t have enough coverage, and that’s something that we’ll have to address. In a situation like ours where I’m the “at-home Dad,” thinking of insurance isn’t exactly at the top of the priorities list, but now it’s on the radar. It should be on yours, too.
Now, you have a chance to share your own unexpected “Life Happens” moment, while learning more, and getting a shot at some sweet prizes as well…
In honor of Life Insurance Awareness Month, the nonprofit LIFE Foundation is giving away great prizes for the best Life Happens moments. You can enter the contest any time before Friday, October 7th. Make sure to encourage your friends and family to vote for your story as the Life Happens moments with the most votes will win (voting ends Friday, October 14th). First place will receive an Apple iPad® , second place will receive a $350 Apple gift card and third place will receive a $150 Amazon gift card.
Life Happens. And while you can’t control the future, you can take steps to protect the good things in life. Take a look around The LIFE Foundation website and learn more about how life insurance can help safeguard a secure financial future for those you love.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The LIFE Foundation. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules
