When I travel by bike, I am aware that I have to reckon with mistakes made by others, especially mistakes by drivers.Today there was a situation in which fortunately no one made a serious mistake. I drove down from a bridge at quite a speed, at the end of the bridge there was a confusing entrance to a school, which is to the right of the bridge. So the driveway crosses my bike path. The moment I drove past the spot, a car turned into the driveway from the left. Fortunately, it was very slow and cautious. If it had been a little faster, it would have caught me. Fortunately, no one broke the rules in this situation, otherwise it might have ended badly. However, I made the mistake of not expecting the car.

This day was not the first time I was reminded how lucky I am to be healthy. Half an hour earlier, I drove past a young man who was pushing his young wife in a wheelchair. Minutes later, an ambulance with blue lights came towards me. An accident had probably happened nearby.

Especially in such situations, I think about what it would be like if I didn’t have this happiness of health. How would I feel if I were in a wheelchair? What would I feel if I slowly went blind? How would I deal with a cancer diagnosis, how would I deal with the certainty that I would soon have to die? There is only one answer: I don’t know.

There are people who would answer that they would then no longer want to live. But I also know many people who lead a really good life with their infirmity. I think I would find a way to accept my fate. To be honest, I haven’t thought much about dying yet. I want to live as long as possible, because life is beautiful. Hopefully I can still say that in 10 or 20 years.

But if this day inevitably comes closer at some point? I believe it will be comforting to know that my thoughts on the happy life have inspired people to live a better life. Of course, that’s what I want most from my two children and my grandson. Maybe they can continue my project in some form. And maybe the world will be a little bit better because of it.