Over a year ago, the rearview mirror in our minivan decided it was done cooperating with the windshield.
It didn’t fall off because of age or mileage. It fell off because I was transporting a sheet of plywood home from Home Depot, came to a stop, and physics took over. The mirror didn’t stand a chance.
I did what any reasonable, optimistic person would do…I glued it back on with special mirror glue. And to be fair, it worked… for a while.
Eventually, gravity won.
At that point, it became obvious: the only real fix was replacing the entire windshield. So a few weeks ago, I finally brought it in.
Problem solved. Or so I thought.
As we drove down the highway afterward, the windshield started whistling.
Not metaphorically. Literally.
It sounded like the van was trying to communicate with dolphins.
Clearly, air was getting through somewhere it shouldn’t have been. So back to the glass shop we went.
While I was waiting, I noticed a windshield leaning against a rack that looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to it. Multiple impact points. Spider-web cracks. Total destruction.
I walked up to the head guy and said,
“Wow… that looks like the windshield of a guy whose jealous girlfriend caught him cheating and handled it with a Louisville Slugger.”
He smiled and immediately said, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Naturally, I had to ask.
“You must see some pretty interesting reasons why people bring windshields in.”
He smiled and said, “You wouldn’t believe it.”
He told me about everything from rocks flying off trucks (by far the most common), to bullet holes, and a few stories better left out of an email like this.
But then he told me one story he said he would never forget.
He had been called out to change a windshield on the road because the vehicle couldn’t move.
A family was driving to Disney World, traveling behind a truck hauling construction materials. One of the poles came loose, flew straight toward the windshield, and pierced through the passenger side.
In a split second, purely on reflex, the mom shifted her body.
The pole went through the windshield and impaled the front passenger seat, missing her only because she was able to move instantly.
He said he still thinks about it.
So do I.
Because that moment had nothing to do with strength.
Nothing to do with fitness goals.
Nothing to do with workouts or routines.
It had everything to do with being able to move when it mattered.
We tend to think of health as something that matters someday, later, when things hurt more, when life slows down.
But sometimes health matters in a split second.
Movement matters.
Being able to shift, turn, brace, react, get out of the way, those are gifts we rarely appreciate because most days don’t demand them.
We live in a very sedentary world: screens, chairs, convenience, efficiency. And while comfort feels harmless, the body pays a price when movement disappears.
There’s an old saying: use it or lose it.
And it’s painfully accurate.
Muscles begin to atrophy rapidly when they aren’t used. The less we move, the harder movement becomes...and suddenly getting off the couch requires a carefully thought out strategy.
So don’t always take the path of least resistance:
Park farther away (you’ll survive)
Take the stairs instead of the elevator (Comfort is not your friend)
Walk when you could drive…especially if it’s really close
Carry the groceries instead of negotiating who does it
Take a short walk after dinner instead of bonding with the remote
Stand up. Shift. Stretch. Move throughout the day…your body wasn’t designed to be furniture
None of it has to be extreme.
It just has to be intentional.
Because you never know when your body will be asked to move quickly and when it is, you want the answer to be yes.
Have a great rest of your weekend.
Dr. Derek “Should’ve Done This Sooner” Taylor
