life's near misses

Funny how the mind works. As I was coming back from the grocery store just now, I was stuck at the left-hand turn from San Antonio onto Middlefield by a tow truck and police car. There had been a pretty nasty accident at the intersection, and they were having to tow the car, clean up the glass, sop up the gas and oil. I couldn't help thinking that if I hadn't stayed in the Safeway parking lot typing some email on my PocketPC, it could have been me involved in the crash. Yeah, I know, I know...the chances of that are small, but still, the mind can't help going there. A near miss, a woulda/coulda "sucks to be them, glad I'm me" thing.

The universe can be a right bitch some times, teasing us with missed opportunities, bad timing, flaunting possibilities and futures that we can't quite have. And sometimes it throws you a bone, reminding you of the bits of good timing, the silver linings, the missed opportunities that were better off missed, the good parts you can wheedle out of what seems like a no-win situation. The trick is to appreciate the good stuff whenever you get it...