I am one of the many registered candidates for governor.

There was no reason to expect that Nov. 16 would be any different than Nov. 15, 14, 13, 12 or 11.

It was.

On Nov. 16 I was, according to the article I later read in a newspaper, hit by a pickup truck while a pedestrian.

I had been on my way to the Bangor Public Library, and the accident occurred on Union Street. I do remember looking in both directions and seeing that it was safe to cross.

I don’t remember getting hit or the aftermath, save for one recollection of my being in the ambulance. One or more people, I’m not sure, in the ambulance were, I believe, asking me if I knew the date and how old I was. I remember thinking to myself that I understood the questions and was surprised that I could not come up with the answers. The next thing I remember is waking up later in the hospital. I was at Eastern Maine Medical Center, where I would remain for almost a full month, until Dec. 14.

I’m only guessing, but I suspect that a few people might feel that it is not prudent to continue my run for governor. I am getting stronger physically, and the doctors told me initially I would make a full recovery, but that it would take time. I do know that the accident has given me plenty of time to think, and has deepened an appreciation of even very small things that occur daily. It has also sharpened my resolve, my determination, something that those who know me say has been a hallmark quality of mine all along.

I remain concerned about this state. I’m not going to share political views in this article, but I continue to work on them; to learn, interact, listen, talk and study. I love Maine, as I know many people do.

Most of all, I want to say thank you to the many who have shown caring and concern, and to say I love you to those who have really made the difference in this time. That we all need other people in this life I have always known, but this has become reinforced now in a heartfelt way.

Love and kindness, appropriate to the time and place, is what I feel we most remember in our lives. It’s what I remember, anyway.

Alex Hammer is an independent candidate for governor who lives in Bangor. The campaign may be reached at www.Hammer2006.com, or P.O. Box 202, Bangor, ME 04402.

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