Avoiding Chaos

I usually try to not let the fact that my plans don't always go according to plan get to me.

After all, if things don't happen exactly the way I want them to....maybe it's for a reason.

Take for example.

Today.

I had plans to meet up with family today. Do a lunch. Meet up around noon.

The around noon part is the important part because I didn't plan to meet AT noon. Just AROUND noon. which gives me less pressure and less stress to try and get somewhere on time. 

Which is a good thing....as I didn't sleep well last night.

Which meant I ended up sleeping in later than planned.

To the point where I woke up like...ten minutes before my original planned time to leave.

And I can get ready in ten minutes. No pressure there. I can roll out of bed, grab my clothes, and get ready in ten minutes. I do it every day for work. 

So I could have left on time. 

But I didn't.

Because as I was getting ready...I decided that my hair was feeling a bit too...not greasy...but that I would feel more comfortable if I took a quick shower to wash my hair so I would feel a bit more comfortable.

Said shower meant that I didn't end up leaving until like twenty minutes later than I'd planned to.

Which again, not a major stressor as I would still make it up to lunch close to noon if not exactly at noon. 

In any case.

I get on the freeway. Hightailing it up to our lunch destination.

And....I'm not quite sure where I was at the moment....it was still familiar ground, I think just before I take my usual exit to get to work....

When the dump truck in the lane to the right of me decides it wants to merge over into my lane.

With full knowledge that dump trucks don't always have their tops covered and with my windshield already filled with rock chips from construction vehicles kicking up or throwing rocks....there was no way I was going to stay behind said dump truck. (especially because it was driving slower than I wanted to drive)

So I merge over into the fast lane.

Just in time to see a large tire -just the outer rim a dozen feet ahead of the dump truck in the middle of the lane. 

There was a bit of tire debris in my lane as well, but nothing as major as the big round outer rim. 

I'm not even sure I would have had time to see said piece of tire if I'd stayed behind the dump truck before hitting it.

But in the left lane of the truck I did see it and had time to slow down enough to make sure I didn't hit any pieces of anything in my lane either. 

At the same time I'm avoiding tire pieces and wondering if other cars are going to hit that actual tire rim I notice a car off to the left, and then two cars off to the right...one of them down in the ditch next to the road, and then a cement truck also pulled over. 

Which...I'm not sure which vehicle lost it's tire.

But it was obvious that the four vehicles had all been involved in said issue with the tire. 

And I can't help but wonder....if I hadn't taken the time to take a morning shower....would I have been one of those vehicles?? Would I have been hit by the tire flying off? Crashed? 

Who knows.

Like it had to be a mostly recent thing because no police cars had shown up yet and no slow down had happened yet for the giant tire piece still in the middle of the road.

So it's possible I could have been part of the tire crash.

It's possible that if I hadn't moved over to avoid being behind the dump truck I could have hit the fragment and had major issues ahead.

But I didn't..

All because I chose to take a shower. All because I gave myself the leeway of "around noon" instead of "at noon." 

Until you next find these words;
I'll be watching the leaves. 
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi