I doubt too many here will sing a song of glee for 2016 and that many are damned glad to see it end however today I was brought face to face with a near calamity on my local freeway which I can only say that there is much for us to be thankful for all the same.
I was towing a two axle equipment trailer earlier today loaded with two conex dollies I won on an auction each weigh something like 4500#. The drive home was not an easy one with the trailer fishtailing pretty badly if I went over 45mph and I was forced to stay in the righthand lane the whole way. Something like 100miles into my voyage, the trailer started fishtailing yet again but worse than in times before. As I was slowing down to get it straightened out behind me the web straps securing one of the dollies parted and off the trailer it went…right across three other lanes of traffic. As I got to the shoulder, I looked back and saw a great number of vehicles all stopped behind where this happened and a horrible sensation of doom filled my gut of there being a chain reaction accident involving many cars and trucks with the worse thought that there were injuries. I instantly saw all my liability coverage used up and many tens of thousands if not more in additional damages staring at me to spend years paying off or worse losing the DAUNTLESS to the lawyers. God however didn’t want that to be my just desserts and not a single other vehicle was hit by the dolly nor was there any other damage done including to the dolly itself. It just rolled across the freeway and ended up on the far side. Soon traffic was going again and when the state patrol arrived no citation was issued. The original trailer with the one dolly was delivered to my shop. An hour later I returned and was able to hook up to the dolly in the median and got it delivered just now.
With this event (near disaster in my mind) over I am struck with the role that good fortune plays with us every day of our lives. I erred in not using chain to secure these dollies and to have allowed the trailer to fishtail as it did (not paying attention to my speed was the cause)…the Allmighty could have decided to teach me a painful lesson today which I would have been forced to pay dearly for years to come but for some reason, God chose not to and wonder why? I think back at all the other moments in my life and career where HE could have thrown the book at me but didn’t. That night on the GALAXY just being one of those. In more than one, the price for the lesson learned for my folly might well have been with my own life.
Now, while I know that the master of the EL FARO did err in challenging the wrath of Joachim as he did there was also a terrible element of God not cutting him nor the ship nor her people that break that I caught today. Had that flooding in the lower hold not happened then the list would not have developed and the turbines would have kept turning just as they were supposed to. With heading under control that worstening list would not have caused cargo to come adrift and struck that firemain where is did… something as simple as a small hatch might have doomed them that morning just like a broken webstrap might have doomed me this afternoon.
As 2016 ends, we should all look to where each of us has gotten a good shake from the Big Guy upstairs and to humbly thank him for his kind Providence and for having our back even though we were not necessarily deserving of that gesture.
Still, let us all remain hopeful for a better 2017…that we DO deserve
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