My Guardian Angel Must Have Been In The Passenger Seat

I had a very frightening experience last night, Modern Philosophers, and I was too freaked out to talk about until now.

It snowed overnight, so when I woke up yesterday, a couple of inches of the white stuff blanketed the neighborhood.

I had to shovel out the driveway, and my road had not yet been plowed, but enough cars had gone over it to make me confident that I would have no issues getting from The House on the Hill to the main road.

It snowed and rained sporadically during the day.  When I left the office, I had to scrape ice off of Zombie Car’s windows, and it took a little effort to get the door open because of the ice, but the ground seemed fine.

I was not worried about the drive home.  Although my fear of driving in the snow is well documented, I didn’t even give a second thought to the fact that there would be any issue with the commute back to The House on the Hill.

Rachel, the beautiful Archangel, who is also my Guardian Angel, has not shown up in this blog for a few months.  It’s my belief that my she has abandoned me.  I didn’t like that, but I have grown used to being on my own and looking out for myself.

Luckily for me, I was wrong about Rachel.  She clearly was in the passenger seat of my car last night during one of the scariest moments I’ve ever experienced.

Had she not been there, Modern Philosophers, I’m not sure I would be here writing to you.

The highway had it usual rush hour traffic, which in Maine, isn’t much at all.  There are several on ramps and exits on my short commute, so I like to drive in the left lane to avoid all the cars weaving on and off the 395.

I was zipping along at 60 mph, which is the speed limit, singing along to the radio, and thinking about what I was going to do for dinner.

I noticed that traffic was backed up in the other direction, which was odd.  That’s when I noticed all the taillights up ahead had stopped moving.

I still had plenty of time to brake, but since I was going 60, I wanted to begin the process immediately.  However, when I stepped on the brake, nothing happened.

I kept trying to stop, but the blacktop must have been covered in black ice.  Zombie Car kept flying towards the stationary taillights that were growing larger because I was getting dangerously close to them.

Traffic was now at a standstill in the opposite direction, and I could see flashing blue lights. Up ahead, I discerned that traffic was only stopped in my lane.

My brakes were still not catching, and my speed had only dropped to about 50mph.

I checked my rear view mirror, and saw that no one was coming up behind me in the next lane.  I changed lanes and then the danger became clear.

Two cars were spun out in the road, perpendicular to my approach.  The one on the left jutted out several feet into the lane in which I was now traveling.  The one on the right was on the shoulder, but its nose was very close to being in my lane.

As I uttered “Oh my God!  Oh my God!  Oh my God!”, I prepared for impact and made a final adjustment to Zombie Car’s path.

I somehow managed to pass through the narrow gap between the two cars at an uncomfortably high rate of speed.

There was no other traffic on the other side of that danger zone, so I just kept working the brakes until they caught.  Then I went 20 mph until I got to my exit.

My body was trembling.  My heart was trying to pound its way out of my chest.  I was mumbling “Thank you God…”

The first thought that popped into my head?  I felt like I had just driven the Millennium Falcon through that asteroid field in “The Empire Strikes Back”.  Even in a near death experience, I was still a total dork.

I had a sense that my Guardian Angel was there next to me, her hand on my knee to calm me, her big brown eyes focused on me with grave concern.

Even after I was off the 395, I continued going 20 mph.  I could care less if I was an inconvenience to anyone behind me.  There was no way I was tempting fate again.

As I waited at a red light, I finally looked over to the passenger seat, where I truly expected to see my Guardian Angel smiling at me.  I was so sure that dimple on her right cheek would be out doing its little dance.

I might not have actually seen the Archangel Rachel, but I know she was there.  It was the only way to explain how I managed to guide my vehicle between those two cars spun out on the road.

It was nothing short of a Christmas Miracle, Modern Philosophers.  This isn’t one of my silly stories, and there is no twist ending.  I almost got into a high speed collision, and it truly is a miracle that I came out of it without a scratch.

My heart is pounding way too fast now simply from the anxiety of recounting the incident for you.

I am appreciating life tonight and filled with the Christmas Spirit.  I no longer believe that my Guardian Angel has abandoned me, and I hope she will forgive me for ever thinking such nonsense.

Life is a gift, Modern Philosophers.  Make sure you value it and never take it for granted…