Vicarious Vertigo

Oh, the sensation you get when considering the disasters that might befall you if only you were as careless as that other fellow!

Why, I once knew someone whose cousin who had a friend who told her about someone who didn't know how dangerous it was to lean your elbow out an open car window...or was that my grandmother? Well, whoever it was, that truck driver had to make a U-turn and chase him back down the road with the arm. It just makes me shiver to think of it.

I'm just as prone as the next one to pop my eyes at the imagined near-miss of some dreadful calamity. "Oh my lord," I cry, "I was on 81st Street just a couple of weeks ago, only three blocks away! Didn't you think about moving there in the '70s?" It's nearly as good as a roller coaster for a cheap thrill.

What's important is to be able to distinguish between vicarious vertigo and actually snatching up a nice pointed stick to carry on your run. And to be careful that you don't suddenly discover that the the person you think you're sharing a nice frisson of imaginary terror with is leaning across you to slap your hands off the window buttons. For your own good, of course.