And In Other Sobering News...

Get off the streets.  Now.

Yesterday, as I was TRYING to drive to get my hair cut, I was rammed by someone who *thought* they could beat me while merging onto Ward Parkway.  They ended up, I think, bending the axle in my driver's side tire, missing my body by about a foot.

I've been known to get in some accidents in my time.  This one, however, was not my fault. Thankfully a lovely witness left his name and number and eventually returned to the scene of the crime to clear my good name.  Tickets were written in the name of insurance, and now I have to go to court on August 15 to make sure the charges stick and someone gives me some money for my late 1994 Geo Prizm, Priscilla, may she rest in peace, God bless her soul. I have the sinking feeling I will net about $800 for the loss of a good, working, paid-for car.  This is really unfair.

However, here's a lesson in Life Ain't Fair - it's also probably not fair I didn't get hurt.  Or that I didn't run up onto the lawn of the house near which I stopped - the lawn containing three toddlers and a pregnant woman.  It's also probably not fair the airbag didn't go off and break my nose, or that I didn't hit my head on the windshield or rearview mirror instead of the nice, soft visor, which just happened to be down at the point of impact.  It's probably not fair that for the first time in weeks I was driving the worthless Prizm instead of the main family Explorer, of which the loss would have hurt far more.  It's probably not fair that I'm still breathing after all the car accidents from which I have walked away.  When I think about it, I still can't believe my friend C. and I survived blowing the right rear tire on a Festiva going 80 mph on I-80 in heavy traffic.  God loves fools and children.

It's also really, really, really not fair that an acquaintance of my husband's was killed while biking in a quiet suburb of Kansas City this week.  I don't know the teenager who hit him, but DAMN PEOPLE who can't watch out for us bikers on the side of the road.  A bike is a vehicle, damnit, and it's required by law to be on the road.  I am so mad this man is dead.  I am so angry this woman would rather ram my car and endanger my child's mother than wait 30 seconds for an open spot in traffic.

I am really lucky nothing worse happened.  While I was rocking the little angel last night, it occurred to me how close she came to having no mama yesterday.  I am so thankful I can still be her mama, with all my important bits intact.

Another amen.  This is turning out to be quite the spiritual week.