Redditor Not-an-Ocelot wanted to hear about the times that have made people give some extra thanks by asking:
"What's the biggest bullet you've ever dodged?"
Life is a field of landmines and we're just whimsically shuffling along. We have to be really. There is no way to always be prepared for everything at every second.
That's why we should always do the simple part well... pay attention. Heed the red flags, throw down the white when necessary.
Allow some folks to explain.
Pay Attention
I was a teen driver not paying attention at an intersection at the crest of a hill with low visibility when the light turned green.
GiphyThe car behind me honked and just as I was about to go a truck barrelled through the red light on the perpendicular road at decidedly ludicrous speed. If I had been paying attention and gone when the light turned green, I very likely would have been T-boned to death. Closest call I've ever had.
A Passed Mandate
This one just materialized yesterday, actually.
About a year ago at my job I was offered to switch from my current team where I was established for a few years, had seniority, etc. for a new department that just started to kick it off, write processes, basically start from square 1.
A lot more work for the same amount of pay. I figured forget it and went.
Yesterday they announced that they just closed the physical HQ office for my old department, and everyone in that entire part of the company would have to either move to one of 14 random states (that we cant pick, its chosen basically by a roulette wheel for where you're going) to a local office, or they're going to be fired on June 22.
Thankfully since I'm part of the new department, I wasn't included in that mandate. Phew.
Too Many Idiots
I took my wife to an indoor shooting range in 2014. I had been at this range many times, and safety was always their top priority.
They made you sit through a safety video, take a quiz, and get a temporary certification before they allowed you onto the range.
Place got really busy and their safety policy became less stringent as time went on.
I noticed that the lane next to us had 3 people in it (already a violation).
Two big guys and one tiny woman probably her in 20's. They were handing her various firearms and laughing when she couldn't handle the recoil (big violation there, and incredibly irresponsible).
This girl was muzzle-sweeping everyone (another huge violation).
I got a bad feeling, told my wife to pack it up because we were leaving.
As soon as we started walking away, BANG, that girl had fired a round right where my wife was standing just a few seconds prior
I told the range officers that they needed to get in there and do something about those idiots, and that we weren't coming back
I have only been to a range a few times since that happened, and now I don't even go at all. Too many idiots.
buzz CRACK buzz...
I was out kayaking on a lake and several bullets whizzed by me. There was a distinct buzz CRACK buzz sound as it went by. I think some people were just out plinking in their back yard, adjacent to the lake, and didn't think a backstop was necessary.
This also happened to me a few weeks later when I was paddling on a small stream. Bullets whizzed by above the bank, just over my head.
I don't think anyone knew I was there either time. Regardless, when you go out and shoot stuff, make sure there's a backstop, ffs. Also, I don't know how big the bullets were, so I'm unsure which was the biggest bullet dodged.
Well that was a lot to digest and ponder. And also... I may need a Xanax.
But we can stay positive, everyone of those people lived to tell the tale.
Personally, I don't think there is a number high enough to count how many car accidents I and many others have avoided.
Thank you Jesus. Prayer seems to have gone a long way for these people.
Flight 103
I was booked on Pan Am flight 103 which went down over Locherbie Scotland. I didn't have a premonition or anything supernatural. I just decided to cancel my seat.
Didn't think anything of it until the plane went down and my mother had written down my flight plan and reminded me. This was back in the day when you could cancel without a penalty up to a couple of days in advance.
On any given day, we make decisions (for no concrete reason really, like... I just chose not to go that day) and we come to learn it was a good decision.
I try not to evaluate my decision because I don't want to affect my future decisions by second guessing or trying to 'work the odds'. This is only one example of times that I dodged a significant bullet. (I wrote a different post, but erased it before I hit save).
Zapped
I was subletting an apartment in college and got zapped by the electric stove.
Gave notice immediately and moved out with very clear reasons why I was moving out.
The building burnt a few weeks later.
GiphyKatrina
2005, my friend and I evacuated New Orleans 2 days before Hurricane Katrina and drove to Mississippi with the little money we had. We were trying to decided on where to stay for the night and it was between a mid range hotel or the really cheap motel.
Decided to spend a little more for the hotel. During the night the eye of the storm came through Mississippi and flattened the roof of the motel we decided against.
Delete Tinder
I matched with a guy on Tinder who played for the Atlanta Falcons.
He was really charming and seemed nice. He asked me to fly down to Atlantic City for Memorial Day weekend, said he would pay for everything (airfare, hotel, food, etc.) but I had never met him before and he refused to give me his phone number.
I was uncomfortable flying to meet a stranger so I told him no. Two weeks later he was on the news for kicking (and killing) his girlfriend's dog.
Life lesson #3005... try not to become an episode of Dateline NBC.
And being on local news isn't always fun either.
Granted disaster and horror is going to happen but let's do all the avoiding possible.
Being the one to walk away is always best—take it from experience.
A Yamaha Pancake
Physically? A bus. I grew up in Bermuda, and since it is such a small island cars are limited to one per family, and everyone drives mopeds. I was driving into town, and came up to a red light behind a bus.
As is tradition, I scooted around the bus to be in the front of the line of traffic. Literally 2 seconds later a second bus smashed into the back of the first bus at like 30 mph.
I would have been pancaked. Without question, 100% dead. I just sat on the side of the road for a bit and thought about my mortality.
My only other Bermuda bus based encounter was driving home from my first job in the rain. An oncoming bus in the opposite lane went through a massive puddle and sent what looked like a tidal wave of water right at me. It literally picked me and my little yamaha v 50 right up and swept us off the road onto some grass.
D-I-V-O-R-C-E
My ex.
He got engaged right after me and proceeded to cheat on her the entire time until she broke up with him.
GiphyOh man, after reading all of that it's a wonder anyone lives to be a senior citizen and now we've got Covid.
Be careful out there my peeps.
Stay vigilant and wash your hands.
Just don't wash them in a shady gas station restroom in darkly lit areas.
A little red flag to think about.
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