Best not take things for granted.

My two-pence worth in today's print Herald Express. A few weeks ago, I wrote about Richard Bach’s fictional seagull, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull. Jonathan was a bit of a loner and had an ambition to fly higher and faster than any other gull.

Recently, I came face to face with a very modern Jonathan as a Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon pitched up at the Torbay Air Show. That aircraft always sends a chill through me. The roar of its engines made me think of end of the time and the opening of the gates of hell.

You cannot fail to be in awe as this aircraft twists and turns at an amazing speed. The ground-shaking roar of the twin engines really is rather scary.

On the clear blue Sunday, the Typhoon completed its display by literally climbing vertically and disappearing into the sky. I rather doubt that the pilot was aware of the round of applause from the open-mouthed watchers on the ground!

Spectacular though it was, its purpose is to destroy. I few years ago I was walking into Holy Angels church in Torquay, as the Typhoon seemed to be motionless in the sky high above me, before rocketing off at a ridiculous speed.

That moment will always stay with me, as I walked into a place of prayer with an angel of death high above! We live in fragile times and the peace path is so scarily narrow.

It was not a Typhoon jet that made me question my place on the pilgrim trail recently, but the wing mirror of a Ford Transit van. I was walking on the pavement, toward the cross-roads at Paignton’s Manor Corner.

Getting thumped on the arm by a Ford Transit mirror was rather shocking. Fortunately, he was driving slowly as he squeezed forward in queuing traffic. The noise of his mirror snapping back made me jump and had fellow pedestrians gasping.

Things can change in an instant and although I was unhurt, the outcome could have been very different. Nevertheless, I was shaken by the impact, and very thoughtful as I plodded home.

That post-impact thoughtfulness deepened, and a Yusuf/Cat Stevens tune started playing in my mind. His thoughtful music has always captivated me, and after my scrape with the van wing mirror I pondered on the reality of my own actuality.

A sudden event can change everything. In the song Father and Son, he sings “But take your time, think a lot. Think of everything you’ve got. For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.”

This life of ours is not a rehearsal and keeping the dream alive is so important. I talk about keeping the smile and perhaps that is part of the dream. Making the most of the here and now, seems to make good sense.

For me, that skirmish with a passing van had a good outcome; but the gap between being a happy bunny and an unhappy bunny is too thin. Human consciousness is a curious thing, and the ability to be positive all the time is not easy.

Watching and listening to that powerful Typhoon jet certainly underlines the fact that things really can change in a split-second.

Do your best to keep the dream alive and, of course, keep the smile.

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