jumping to conclusions, unwarranted assumptions, etc.

Every parent and grandparent dreads that call. The telephone call that brings news of an accident or illness of a loved one. Monday night Dorothy answered the phone and from the tone of her voice I knew it was one of those calls. Our oldest granddaughter, Tara, had just been injured in a motor vehicle accident. At once, my imagination took over. I was hearing only Dorothy's side of the conversation and my mind filled in the blanks. I just knew those crazy teenagers had been out driving recklessly with tragic results. Listening to the telephone dialogue, a few words jumped out at me: "Mustang", "Highway 59". The movie began to play in my head: They had been careering high speed down that stretch of two lane highway, their hair flying in the wind, talking with their friends on their cells phone, attempted to pass another car and had a headon collision.

What actually happened was that Tara was riding as a passenger in her friend's car on their way to another friends house. They had stopped to let the traffic go by before making a left turn when an elderly lady hit them from behind. Tara and her friend were both treated at the local emergency room. Her friend may have an injury to her neck, but she was released. Tara escaped with no apparent injuries although the next day she was very sore. Both girls will be watched carefully as injuries are known to manifest themselves days later.

Sometimes I think it's a good thing for me to imagine a worst case scenario because most of the time things are not as bad as I think, and that's always a relief.
s