She could only see the sloping shoulder of Mt. Crested Butte and the dark June sky. She remembers thinking that she was too young to die. They were all too young to die. That in fact, she had no good jokes to tell at the 'gates.' She wanted to live. She had things to learn, and before she felt anything again, she made a bargain that she's still paying off today. Holly said to whoever was listening, or watching from the sky, "If I live, I will write." And that's when she heard the voices. It's only broken bones. It's only broken bones. It's only broken bones. She rolled over onto her left side and the crushed femur, broken hip and pelvis filled her with the most beautifully agonizing pain she'd ever felt. She was alive. And she would write.
Ten years later, she founded the Skywriter Series and brought the first tribe of writers to Crested Butte, Colorado. She has returned every summer since, and each time she receives more healing.
Moral: There are opportunities in every accident. (<back)