A 1mm Miracle

So I learned a profound truth today.  Was with my dear friend Hattie Cohen who arrived back in the UK yesterday after a horrendous skiing accident last week where she broke her back in 3 places.  She's currently enduring a great deal of pain and has had a major 3 hour operation to put metal bolts and rods in her back.  


I happened to be there today when the consultant said that her test results show that the prognosis for a full recovery is very promising indeed.  Amazing news!  But then he added that had the break been in a different place by 1mm she would now be completely paralysed and wheelchair bound for life.  One Millimetre's difference.  

It got me thinking...How often does a variation of 1mm make much of an overall difference to anything?  To my mind, not all that often.  And yet.  Today, I saw how a seemingly insignificant figure really made all the difference in the world.  As I was reminded not to underestimate the effect that a millimetre can have on something, I also realised how important it is to remember the effect that something very small, and seemingly insignificant, can have, and the difference it may make.