What a year can be like.

While driving during periods of snow blindness not long ago, someone tried to pass a big semitrailer but couldn’t see my vehicle in the oncoming path. I wasn’t aware of the other vehicle either because I had just met another semitrailer that temporarily snow-blinded me. Once my wipers cleared the windshield I realized there was a vehicle in my lane coming straight at me. In fact, we probably both realized this simultaneously.

I hit the brakes. Slow-motion commenced. I began a mini-debate in my head: do I aim for the ditch now and roll or is there enough time for the other driver to get out of my way?

Despite the weighty feeling that everything was slowing down, there didn’t seem to be time enough to ponder much of anything. There was nothing I could do about it; at least there was nothing I could safely do about it. What was going to happen was going to happen.

Sometimes this is exactly what a year can be like.

What was going to happen was going to happen. The unexpected. The sad. The unfair. The confusing. Those challenges that seemed overwhelming. The bitter disappointments. And the delights too. We all do what we can to prevent disaster or regrets. We all try to keep safe and strong and healthy. We all try to put our arms around those we love and hold them close. We all hope they will do the same. We all make choices. Some good. Some bad. But sometimes, no matter what we do or should have done, what happens happens anyway.

That was my lesson this year. Forgive yourself. You tried. It wasn’t entirely your fault. Maybe it wasn’t your fault at all. And maybe time will tell.

That other driver manoeuvred around that semitrailer and out of my lane. Barely. Only afterward did I notice my heart beating like someone had just finished boosting it with jumper cables.

Soon I regained composure and speed and continued on my way, with the other driver on my mind. I wondered how he was feeling. I found it odd how quickly I calmed down. Maybe it wasn’t as much of a near-miss as I had perceived? He was clearly to blame for that near-accident but I felt no animosity. I have probably done the same thing to some other driver at some point. And to be honest, I just wanted to forget about it. That was probably my way of coping.

Sometimes this is exactly what a year can be like.

That was my lesson this year too. Move onward. Get home. Get comfortable. Cry if you need to. Be thankful. Slow down. Learn. Love the ones you love. Cope. Hope.