Chevy Death Metal + Divine Intervention = A Pass

I ran across this video in my feed today, and it immediately reminded me of a day that I narrowly avoided getting mowed down by a wayward two-ton truck.

I remember everything very clearly. I was headed North on New Ballas Road towards Olive in my big ol' Ford Explorer that I'd lovingly nicknamed KBGB (Kristin's Big Green Beast). I was just about to pass the entrance to First Watch, and I saw this huge, old white Chevy pickup zooming out of the parking lot, onto New Ballas, into the lane next to me, and it wasn't completely turning into the right lane...it was coming straight at me. I was in the left lane, so I couldn't move over without hitting someone head-on.

I remember thinking that "this isn't going to turn out well"...
And then, everything happened in somewhat slow-motion.
I was preparing to get slammed, really bracing myself against the driver's side door, and could hear a mewling develop in my throat. Funny how your body can go on autopilot when preparing for disaster...

I was watching the truck come towards me....and....the it SHIMMIED about a foot to the right. Yup. It shimmied. Shifted. Moved in a way that it shouldn't have. This allowed it to make the turn into the right lane and not invade my lane.

Now, you're probably thinking that the road was wet which could account for the weird, skidding backwards-movement. No, it didn't skid (it was a nice, dry spring morning). It was as if some invisible force picked it up slightly and slid it a foot over back into the right lane...away from me. The movement that truck made was 100% against any law of physics known to man. The entire truck moved a foot to the right, not just the front or back as it might due to a sharp turn of the wheel. Completely UNNATURAL.

When the truck was tucked away in the right lane, next to me, the driver and I looked at each other. I'm pretty sure my face mirrored what I saw on his - pure amazement. We were both dumbfounded.

I say my prayers...sometimes more than I ususally do, depending on what's going on in life. I believe we are here for a reason, and I also believe that about 99.9999% of what happens to us in life is by chance, fate, planned by someone or something. Most of what happens cannot be controlled by us. Right place, right time...and vice versa. Unless, according to my friend Shawn, you have the ability to use The Force. (He longs to live on the planet Alderon...)

But on that day, in that instant, I believe that some force intervened in our lives and prevented what could've been a very serious accident, perhaps with life-threatening consequences.

I believe I was spared, as was the driver, for whatever reason. We got a pass that day. Most definitely.

Ever since then I have been hyper-aware of other drivers, and try to anticipate potential errors in judgement and drive defensively. I take that situation as a warning...that perhaps I should strive to be a better driver. And pray more, which I do.

So when I saw this video, I wondered if the bystander didn't benefit from a little divine intervention?