Divine Intervention

Some days getting a read on my intuition and hearing my inner voice is challenging.When that happens it's hard to make a decision from a place of clarity, no matter how much I try to tune in. On this particular winter day, snow was swirling in the growing wind and the debate in my mind began.Once a month on Sundays I teach a yoga class up the hill into Shutesbury, but this morning the weather was not looking so good and the roads had yet to be cleared. After consulting with my friend and colleague, and feeling like I was being a wuss, I made the decision to head out into the elements.

The roads were slippery and still covered with a thick layer of snow. Not a lot of cars on the road which was good, but I knew I had the S curves to deal with and wondered how that would go. Just before the town line into Leverett, where the road wound along a stream, I noticed an SUV parked half way into the road, blocking the southbound lane. Moving closer, I saw the car had been totaled. The whole driver's side was smashed in from the front to the rear bumper. No other cars were in sight, although I could just make out yellow flashing lights around the next bend. A man was leaning into the car, so I stopped and asked if he was okay, needed any help, if I could call anyone. He told me the police were on their way. He'd been smashed into by a snow plow as they both rounded the corner, coming from opposite directions. He had pulled in at that spot to get off the dangerous corner; the snow plow still farther down the road.

The roads to Shutesbury were worse than where we were stopped he told me. They had yet to be plowed and were very slippery. Then added that he'd been on his way to church when the accident happened. He was struggling to find the silver lining, as there didn't seem to be any good that could come out of this event. At that point I knew I needed to turn around and go home; clarity finally came to me. I said maybe his good Samaritan deed was that I took it as a message to go home and not drive any further. Maybe he saved me from getting into an accident that day, and on that note we said our goodbyes.He watched the road while I turned around, making sure no cars were coming.

The message came through loud and clear that I'd made the right decision once I'd turned around and wished him well. Even though it was still snowing steadily, my windshield was clear. All clear, except for the outline of a full heart sketched in ice. There was my confirmation, sketched in ice, as I turned for home.