change – in spades

Yesterday, driving home from a meeting at the funeral home, I was feeling good, a lot had been accomplished, when bump…. a car side swiped me. Yes in my brand new car. I honked and indicated that the car pull overt, which it did, we drove to a safe place and pulled off away from traffic.
I got out to look at my car, and found that there was no scratch on the metal but there was one on the black trim over wheel. I was not amused. Turning I saw the elderly man getting out of the other car. Dressed as gentlemen do … there was a time when a man would not be caught at any time away from home, without a dress shirt and pants .. the driver of the errant vehicle was slow, his hands a bit shaky. He had come prepared, he had his wallet out, should he need to give me identification. What I saw and felt was a man who dreaded what was possibly going to happen.
He waited for my “reaction”

I felt like the empty beach, with the mist that hangs over the water, in the picture you see above this text, I couldn’t erase the “damage”, turn back the clock, he was already upset, my words were quiet, and I explained that this was a new car, and that my husband had just passed away, I was not happy about the scratch on my new car. I couldn’t believe I was being so “quiet”..
He did his best to assure me that a bit of shoe polish would hide the scratch. He sighed philosophically and said, “a new car doesn’t stay new forever”. He offered to pay to have it fixed, however, except for asking for his name and phone number, I let it go. My mind wanted to walk into the mist.
After apologizing again, he explained that he had lost his only set of keys and had been frantically searching for them, and had just found them, his anxiety, and stress, caused him to swerve into my lane. I said goodbye and left.
It is a new car, and maybe later I will react differently, but somehow.. I don’t think so, life is very fragile, material things, can’t replace feelings. The news around the world these days is unsettling we are all human beings, we all bleed if we are cut, and we all hurt when someone is thoughtless or cruel.
Day 31 in the PL Calendar – Your World will change when you look at things in a positive light.
Everything you encounter is an opportunity for you to express yourself. What you choose to make of the situation is entirely up to you.
May your day be filled with sunshine, and your nights calm and serene.
Oyashikiri

Photographer – Bonnie
Location – Bali