I had a close call. It could happen to anyone.
A few years ago, while making a left-hand turn, a driver didn’t notice me. She was also driving too fast. There is also the possibility that I was a little bit off my timing. Left hand turns can be tricky. Nevertheless, we came close to a crash, less than a half km from home – not more than 6 inches apart by the time we ground to a halt. We looked at each other through our windows and for a moment time stopped. She backed up so I could carry on through the intersection. We all knew how close we had come.
But the “hole in the net” was there and we slipped through. Nothing happened.
How often does nothing happen to you? Everyday there are people getting the dreaded phone calls, the accidents, the firings, the rejections. But maybe, not you, at this moment.
Remember during 9/11 when we heard all the stories of people who were saved because: their bus was late; an appointment got cancelled; the car broke down or someone got the flu. It is not unusual in our day to day lives, to experience near misses that save our lives, or get the early diagnosis that improves our health outcomes or perhaps the chance encounters that change things for the better.
When I attended an International Morita Therapy Conference at UBC, in Vancouver, I was struck by the advice one of the Morita Psychiatrists gave in his presentation. He suggested that we take a few minutes every day to take stock of “what didn’t happen.” I wasn’t in an accident; I caught the pot before it boiled dry; I remembered my passport while I was still in the driveway. How fortunate are those near misses – the ones when nothing happens.
A Poem
Could Have (an excerpt)
So, you are here? Still dizzy from
another dodge, close shave, reprieve?
One hole in the net and you slipped through?
I couldn’t be more shocked or
speechless.
Written by Nobel Laureate Wislawa Symborska, trans. Stanislaw
Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh (New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1996)
Every now and then on an inconsistent basis I think of this kind of incident or event and how fortunate I am. I invite you to consider it from time to time. It may surprise you.
Enjoy this beautiful season of autumn.
Warmest wishes, Trudy
PS thanks to Pexels for the spiderweb.
