That's
all it takes to change the course of your life. Just one Instant in
time. In this particular instant, actually, a couple nights before I
took this photo, I was driving this car. I finally found this
particular car and bought it less than a year before in September of
2010. I had already acquired my South Dakota license plates and left
as soon as I put them on the car for Rapid City, South Dakota to
complete my official residence change and obtain my South Dakota
drivers license. This car was destined to be the “toad” (RV slang
for the car towed behind a motor home) for the motor home I was
shopping for. And, in one instant all my plans changed.
Yes,
you're looking at a totaled 2002 Ford Focus that had the low mileage,
the exact door, seating and cargo configuration, the five-speed
manual transmission, the engine and other features I specifically
wanted. It even had a satellite radio receiver installed. It took me
two months to find this particular car. I downsized from my 1996
Cadillac Seville STS, one of my favorite cars of all time. I had
256,000 miles on the old Caddy. I bought it with 104,000 miles on the
odometer. The Focus was about 8 years old when I bought it and only
had a few thousand miles over 50,000 on the odometer. Then . . .
a kamikaze deer shot out of the darkness of the night and in that instant everything
about my future plans changed. No! I wasn't hurt,
just a little stunned. I didn't even make contact with the airbag
when it deployed. And, therein, lies the crux of the matter. There
was no one in the passenger seat, but both airbags deployed as you
can see in this photo.
When the insurance adjuster went over the car, he had to total the car. The actual damage to the front of the car, headlight, grill and windshield were all repairable at nominal expense. It was those two airbags that moved the car into the totaled category. They brought the cost of repairs well over the threshold that made sense for the insurance company.
a kamikaze deer shot out of the darkness of the night and in that instant everything
When the insurance adjuster went over the car, he had to total the car. The actual damage to the front of the car, headlight, grill and windshield were all repairable at nominal expense. It was those two airbags that moved the car into the totaled category. They brought the cost of repairs well over the threshold that made sense for the insurance company.
Obviously,
one doesn't plan for an accident, therefore they always happen at an
inopportune time. This was no exception. The insurance company had me
in a rental car virtually immediately. So, I had wheels. However, due
to my schedule and upcoming events, I had absolutely no time to go
shopping for a replacement for this vehicle. It took me two months to
find this Ford Focus, so I fully expected it to take that much time
or possibly longer to find another car matching my precise
requirements as the “toad” I had planned this car to be.
Ultimately,
by the middle or end of September I had changed my plans. I decided
to alter my plans for a motor home and a toad. I decided to find
either a Class B or Class B+ van based motor home or a high-top
conversion van I could modify myself to use as both a tiny house on
wheels and a daily driving vehicle. I looked at a couple vehicles,
but ultimately decided on the self modified, high-top conversion van,
now known as My McVansion.
The
positive outcome is the change in plans saved me from paying
insurance on two vehicles, double maintenance, upkeep, operating
expense, repairs, depreciation and the cost to modify the “toad”
vehicle for towing. The frustration is that I had sold a beautiful
high-top conversion van with a slightly larger engine, nicer interior
and even lower mileage only about 18 months earlier.
Such
is life! Everything can change in an instant. It certainly did for
that kamikaze deer. It's “lights” went out permanently in that
instant. Of course, I'm very thankful I didn't lose control and roll
the car or hit a tree or worse. Ultimately, perhaps, there was a
message from the universe in that event. Although, I just think it
was a standard dumb deer doing what dumb deer do and I just happened
to be in the wrong place at the wrong time that night.
This is a cosmic view of seeing events as part of your particular road to be traveled. It is inherently positive because whatever occurs, the value within can be discerned. Not always at first, but often in hindsight. How often we say things like: "It was devastating losing my job, but it's the only way I would have changed my life."
ReplyDeleteHappy traveling to you Ed, and all us readers of your blog, as we do our best to discern the way in which we should go and courageously follow the road less traveled.
Right on! Richard. Most people, me included, tend to stay in our comfort zone, or as we might think, the path of least resistance. I believe there is such a thing as human or life inertia. We will remain in whatever life situation we are in until acted upon by an outside force. An object (human) at rest will remain at rest until acted upon by that external force. In my case, in this instance, that force was a dumb doe.
DeleteLF&BH,
Ed