So... I managed to have a pretty eventful start to TwentyTen (sidebar: I love saying TwentyTen. It's so futuriffic).
It was the last day of Christmas Vacation (one of the many things I love about being a teacher). After two relaxing weeks off full of fun, family, and cheer, I was on my way from my mother's to school, to, well, um... start grading papers. (Procrastinating is one of my many talents).
So on a cold, bright, January Sunday, I'm driving along on the highway, singing along with my Blackberry as it's playing Bette Middler's "The Rose." My taste in music, by the way, is not normally quite so atrocious, but I'm singing this song at a friend's wedding tomorrow, so dork that I am, I was practicing in my car, belting out "Some say Love/ It is a River--" when all of the sudden, I came to a sudden realization:
Which was, terrifyingly... my brakes were no longer braking.
I pushed the pedal, once, twice... and they were just gone.
So hysterical young woman that I am, I prayed, calling out to Jesus, then (I am ashamed to admit) yelled a bad four letter word (a REALLY bad one... twice), and in a desperate last moment attempt to stop my car, threw it into park just before slamming full speed into the truck ahead of me.
It didn't occur to me until later, at a friend's questioning as to why I didn't use the emergency brake, that I realized I probably should have used the emergency brake.
The story ended happily. No one was hurt, or even that angry. I was shaken up, but mostly so, so thankful that no one was hurt. But here's the kicker. The truck in front of me?
Being driven by no other than the one and only superintendant of my small-town school district.
You can't make this stuff up folks.
Long story short: I'm really blessed to be here. I hit his truck at fifty miles an hour while he was stopped at a red light. The air bags didn't even deploy. Thank God for seatbelts, but furthermore... I know He was watching over me. My truck (a used Hyundai Santa Fe) was pronounced totaled a few days later. Thank God, no one was hurt. Thank God, my daughter wasn't with me. But mostly, God, thank you for guiding me through one of the scariest situations I've ever been in. And even letting me see a little humor in it.
Superintendant?? REALLY? Of ALL the people in the world??
Quite a way to cap off my Christmas Vacation. I feel like Chevvy Chase would be proud....
So, smashing start to my twentyten... but grateful to still be here to ring this year in. Also, just finished a unit on irony with my sophomores... nothing like real life examples, eh?
