I'm pretty sure we all

I'm pretty sure we all know the commercial from which this quote is taken. When it first came out in the 1980's (and for years afterward), it was parodied quite a bit and became something of a catchphrase (during a time when everything was a catchphrase).

I hadn't heard, or thought of, the phrase for a long, long time. I heard it today on the radio on my way to work. It was played, sort of as an "aren't we a cool station for playing this clip" clip that gets played during the lead in to a song. I was taken aback at how I reacted to it.

A couple of weeks ago, my mother, who is getting up there in age, fell while trying to keep her great-grandson from running out onto the road. She hit her head, which resulted in a huge lump over her deeply-blackened eye. She also hurt her knee and hip, which were already delicate and achy. She was shaken up rather badly, but is recovering okay, I guess.

Because of her fall, when I heard the phrase, I imagined my mother falling, her momentary helplessness, and it kind of hit me.

I pulled the car over, and I wept.

No, not really, but I was surprised at how the phrase that I had heard thousands of times without really hearing, suddenly seemed so relevant.

Now, it's got me wondering what circumstances will occur that will cause me the same types of feelings when I hear "Where's the beef?"