Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Intersections of Fate


I enjoy the gentle interactions (not collisions) of the people at the Matchbox bar.

There are intersections at which worlds collide. I'm thinking this morning of the history of impact craters on Earth, thinking about the big ole asteroid that, when it crashed landed on terra firma, kicked up enough dust to kill almost every living species including (most famously) the dinosaurs.

On a more personal level, I remember the day (February 1, 1979) when that Southern Pacific freight train crashed into the Datsum B210 I was driving at the time. That collision changed my whole life - eventually for the better, should say.

On September 6, 2001, I was on my way to a coffee meeting with someone I had once upon a time considered one of my best friends. She and my partner fell in love, my partner dumped me, and the two of them moved in together - all within the space of about three months. Though in slo-mo, that sequence of events still feels like a terrible crash, not literally but definitely in terms of destiny. Ouch! Though this event, too, lead to a happier life. Go figure.

On 9/6/01, I was determined to lift my chin, put my shoulders back, stand tall and look my ex-almost-best friend right in the eye, to acknowledge what had happened, perhaps. I wanted her to see that I was fine, just FINE, even though I'd lost not only my partner of five years, but one of my best friends. For heaven's sake. Que es mas macho?

Just as I entered the intersection at thirteenth and U streets, I heard the siren. I must have a hell of a survival instinct because although I didn't see anything, somehow my body knew to press down hard on the gas (rather than slam on the brakes). Sure enough, the fire truck, running a red light on its way to some emergency or another, would have crashed right into the the driver's side of my car, had I not suddenly speeded up.

As it was, the fire truck clipped the very back of my car, knocking out a tail light but otherwise causing no damage. The overarching effect of that collision was beneficent. It stopped me from making that coffee meeting. (We had to wait around for the fire chief to come check out what had happened. While we waited, I called the cafe, cancelled the meeting.) Five days later was September 11, 2001, after which everything changed, hence the idea of a sit-down between she and I was scrapped, permanently. Thank God.

Sometimes engaging with one's fate includes these collisions. In the case of the fire truck and the coffee meeting, one minor crash helped derail what would no doubt have been a very unpleasant (and I'm guessing non-productive) encounter.

I think the Sufi acupuncturist is correct when he says that we experience angelic interventions more often than we can begin to imagine. Thank you, lovely angels, for saving me from my habit of tilting at experiences that would not be good for me. Thank you so much!

This morning I'm thinking of the near misses, the almost collisions that occur perhaps in alternate universes, but not right here in consensual reality. I wonder how many near misses have been a part of my own destiny. Since the collisions never actually took place, how would I ever know how many, or in what ways, they might have changed my life?

You know there are asteroids out there right now, passing very close to planet Earth, yet not crashing here. Perhaps the angels deflect them for the greater good, ya think?


Summer has collided with Fall. Fall is "winning." Oh yeah.

17 comments:

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Wow! I can't believe you were hit by a train. How amazing. I often think about this. If I am waylayed or get lost or whatever, I wonder if I'm being "saved" from something - really eases the stress. I prefer to think of things this way.

Vicki said...

WOW! You are one very incredible, brave woman...Macho??? Not a chance! Just confidant and brilliant! Much love...

ellen abbott said...

All I can say is that if angels intervene often to save us from stuff, they must think I need all those encounters cause I don't think I've ever been saved from any bone-headed idea I ever came up with.

Reya Mellicker said...

Ellen, are you sure of that?

Tess Kincaid said...

When I have some kind of mishap or delay, I always wonder what worse scenario it may have been preventing me from experiencing. Glad yours was just a little bump. Your almost best friend didn't deserve to have coffee with you!

Reya Mellicker said...

Willow, as my friend Katrina explained, it was too soon to come face to face with her - hence the reference to being macho.

After 9/11, it was too late. Such is life.

Linda Sue said...

I am not sure how many crashes have spared me, I only am aware of the ones that nailed me...but, given my carelessness, I suppose without some sort of intervention I would not be writing this now. So glad that you are being well looked after!Whew!

Reya Mellicker said...

You too, Linda Sue

Cyndy said...

Thinking about the fact that it could all end just like that, from something as random as an asteroid, makes me feel extra alive and grateful for everything I have, while I still have it.

Those were some incredibly difficult experiences that you went through. But it sounds like they both ultimately resulted in a better life for you. It's sort of a relief to be able to look back and appreciate on some level the good that came out of something that was so terrible at the time.

Reya Mellicker said...

And you, Cyndy - your house burned down! But look at your new house - it's gorgeous. Love the purple door!

Rose said...

I often wonder about these things. Those tiny events and happenings and choices that shape our lives in ways that are so huge. It reminds me of the whole thing about a butterfly flapping it's wings and creating wind. Can this happen? Yes, I believe so if the wings beat at precisely the right point in time and space, a sensitive moment.

Tiny things that took me by way of disaster. Disasters that don't look quite so disastrous as I look back and see where they have enabled me to go in my life.
Life is like that!

I am glad your life has bought you to this point where you can share it with us.

Kerry said...

Wow, the angels really jolted you big-time in these encounters, saving you with both a train and a fire truck. Terrifying, fascinating, humbling, and endearing, all at once.

Reya Mellicker said...

Thank you, Rose. Yes, the big picture ia ao intense. I can only surrender to it whenever I have the presence of mind to actually see it. Whew.

Reya Mellicker said...

Terrifying, fascinating, humbling, and endearing, all at once.

Oh yeah. Life on this planet. Yep.

Reya Mellicker said...

Rose: is so intense.

Typos. Hate them.

Jo said...

I've missed reading your blog while I was away. What a joy to get back to it!

Great post (wow, I didn't know that about you and the freight train), and fabulous photos.

I'm very grateful for the 'angelic interventions' I've had in my life...oh, goodness. So grateful!

Pauline said...

My angels all have human names like Coincidence, Serendipity and Cosmic Intervention (my favorite) but for me, wings and watching over will always win out over chance.