YOU JUST CAN'T BE TOO FOCUSED!

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” ((Romans 13:1)

There are quite a large number of people who are afraid of travel by air. When they DO have to take a trip by jet plane, their knuckles are white during takeoffs and landings. Should there be any turbulence experienced during the flight...well, FORGET IT! I marvel that people have THAT much fear of flying, and yet they think NOTHING of traveling in congested traffic, many times at high speeds, to and from the airport. The fact is that, statistically speaking, travel in a car is MUCH more dangerous than is traveling aboard a jet plane! Remember that poor Hispanic lady from the Jamaica Plain section of Boston who was killed back in 2006 when the giant concrete panel fell on her car in that “big dig” tunnel on the way to Logan airport? Well, I rest my case!

Actually, I DON’T rest my case, because THAT was just the introduction!

It’s too bad driving is not fun, but driving is just not fun! There are SO many things that can go wrong when you’re at the wheel! I don’t want to go into great detail in writing because this is a matter that’s in the hands of the insurance companies, but Mary Ann had a car accident on Friday morning. Fortunately, our 2000 Dodge Caravan is drivable and she was not hurt, but the whole inconvenience factor is a nightmare. (Mary Ann probably had her worst day of 2008 on Friday! Her work computer had a total meltdown and had to be carried off by a computer technician; AND about an hour later she was in a car accident!) All I will say about her accident is that it involved two people backing up in a parking lot. Did you know experts say one of the most dangerous things you can do at the wheel is backing up in a parking lot? There are quite a number of accidents that happen when drivers are backing up in parking lots!

I know Mary Ann felt bad about the accident. Well, I have a confession to make. A week ago, I ALMOST had a car accident! It was Friday night, October 3. I had finished teaching a Bible Study at our church. I was giving a guy a ride home. Listen, I know the folks who have been planning a state-of-the-art community health center facility for the corner of South and Waverley Streets in Framingham have argued that it’s NOT a particularly dangerous place to walk around and drive around... but... well, IT IS! I was making a right turn from South Street onto Waverley. As is frequently the case, there were parked vehicles which made it kind of hard to see, and there was a lot of traffic heading east on Waverley St. I stopped, looked, and waited for car after car to go by. Finally, the last car passed. I eased my foot off the break pedal and looked to the right. INSTANTLY THERE WAS A GUY RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY 1989 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF! I slammed on the brakes! The car stopped with a slight jolt because I was only rolling at 2 or 3 M.P.H. What I’m describing all happened in maybe ONE SECOND.

The man I was giving a ride to said the pedestrian had been waiting to cross the street and then suddenly to his surprise had lurched in front of my car. My passenger had been about to say, “There’s a guy in front of the car!” Before he could get those words out, the above events happened! The pedestrian was a male, probably in his late thirties or early forties. I’d say he was at least five feet ten inches tall, maybe taller. He had olive skin and curly dark hair. He had the look of a guy who’d spent a lot of his life in streets, in fights, and in bars.

“HEY!” he yelled, “YOU TRYIN’ TA HIT ME??!! YOU WANNA HIT ME??!!”

Maybe I should not have said anything, but I said, “No”. It sounded like the weakest, most wimpy “no” I’d ever said in my life! (Thank God the car did NOT strike him! I missed hitting him by at least a foot. Had I hit him, I hate to think of what that would have been like!)

“How about if I call the police?!” he continued, “How about if I take down your plate number and call the police?!”

I said nothing, but I thought, “Oh, great, I WOULD have plate number 280. That’s a pretty tough one to forget or mess up!”

He slowly walked away, staring at me with a look of absolute hatred.

I made the right turn and drove along Waverley Street.

“I wouldn't’ blame you if you’re scared,” said my passenger, “that would scare me, too!”

“Well, it was a surprise, but I’m all right” I said.

I wasn’t. But I was trying to be calm.

I dropped my passenger off, went home and turned on the television set.

I could just imagine the phone ringing, and hearing a voice saying, “This is the Framingham Police Department. We’ve got a report that you were involved in an incident with your motor vehicle....”

No joke. My wife called asking me to pick her up at Marian High School and drive her over to get her car where she’d left it in a parking lot in Ashland. I did not want to drive anywhere else that night! But, I did it!

No, there were never any phone calls or letters from the Framingham Police Department or the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Thank God! But, boy, am I cautious driving now, especially in areas where there are pedestrians, and particularly pedestrians who may want to jump out in front of your car when least expected!

That reminds me of what my father, who was a driving expert, always said about car accidents: “Accidents happen WHEN LEAST EXPECTED!” They do! Please, when you’re driving, remember that YOU JUST CAN’T BE TOO FOCUSED!