Angel on my shoulder

applecruncher

applecruncher

SF VIP
Location
Ohio USA
Wow. My jaw is still on the ground.

When I need to wash comforters or blankets, I take them to a very nice, quiet laundromat not too far away – it has a few of those huge industrial size washers & dryers that work better for such things. I was going to take a comforter and 2 blankets today, but at the last minute I changed my mind. A friend picked me up and I decided to postpone that chore and run a few other errands.

As we were returning to my place, we saw several police cars and emergency vehicles near the laundromat. Lights flashing, etc. Then we got closer and saw what happened – a car had CRASHED into the front of the laundromat, glass all over the place, a big commotion. Half of the car was still stuck in the large front window.

Got home and turned on the news (by then it was 12;30PM). They said an elderly woman lost control of her car, crashed into the laundromat, basically destroyed the front of the place and also damaged the cleaners next door. :eek:mg1: Unclear as to injuries.

Had I not changed my mind about going to the laundromat, I would have been in the middle of that. :( Whew. You can be sure I'm counting my blessings as I type. :praying:

Life is indeed strange…I was very lucky. I'll watch the local news this evening.
 

Glad you changed your plans AC, good luck for sure.
 

Yep, something like that really makes you stop and think doesn't it? I am glad you have unwashed blankets this evening. :) Maybe you should think about giving your shoulder angel a name. I once knew a hospice nurse who told me she felt she had one on each shoulder and she had named them. One was Jason and I forget the other. I thought that was sort of nice.
 
I checked - they're making repairs, and remaining open. The driver, an 88 yr old woman, received minor injuries and was taken to the emergency room. Amazingly, no one else was hurt.
 
Yes, Ina. I've heard that saying.

When my older brother was in his early 20s he ran his car into someone's house late at night. Incredibly no one was hurt. My mom was relieved but also mad because he had been out partying and drinking. There was a picture and article on the front page of the neswpaper.(He had insurance, thank goodness.)
 
So glad you were not hurt. I'm always struck by how fate intervenes in our lives every day, sometimes to our benefit, other times not so much. Better to be in the right place at the right time! You think about all those times when you were almost involved in a serious accident, but just missed it by a second or two. Indeed, there but for the grace of God, go I.
 
I recall seeing some story about a person who changed flight arrangements they had for Sept. 11, 2001. Otherwise, they would have been on one of the planes that went down. (Maybe there have been several such stories.) Wow. Just...wow.
 
applecruncher said:
I recall seeing some story about a person who changed flight arrangements they had for Sept. 11, 2001. Otherwise, they would have been on one of the planes that went down. (Maybe there have been several such stories.) Wow. Just...wow.
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This reminds me of a short story that I read in a compilation by Stephen King several years ago. The story is called "The Things They Left Behind". It left me stunned. A story of survivors' guilt in the wake of 9-11.

A few years ago I hired a manager from NY. She told me a story of that day (9-11) and how she missed her usual bus. A woman she typically commuted with was killed by a piece of falling debris when one of the towers was struck, and the woman I hired would have been right there with her, probably meeting the same fate.

My wife worked with a man who lives in Brazil. He had a sick child who kept him up the night before he was to have boarded a flight for Paris for a sales convention. He missed the flight because he was so tired, and the plane later crashed over the Atlantic, killing all on board.
 

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