What Are You Happy You Missed?: Gratitude for What Didn't Happen

[salixj]

About ten years ago, before we had an air conditioner that gives heat as well we had to make do with small space heaters.(I don't know where else this happens, but in Israel you can have one wall unit put in that gives off heat and cold).

These small space heaters basically heated up one's own personal space and not much more.

As a heat junkie, I had the heat on high and right under my feet as I sat beside my computer doing whatever work I happened to be doing that day.

Took a break, went into the kitchen, started back and realized I forgot something, groaned, turned around, grabbed it,  came back and I was within three steps to my chair and heat.

And the heater burst into flames. Flames spitting out right where I would have been sitting if I hadn't forgotten something and had to go back to the kitchen. Flames that would have ignited the thin rayon skirt I had on. Flames that most likely would have left me severely injured as to get away from the flames I would have had to push back from my chair and then do the drop and roll as there wasn't much space there otherwise.

Five second made the difference.

Sometimes life and death happens in much less space and time.

I inconvenienced myself slightly, and whatever pulled me back into that kitchen, I believe in G-d so to me it was G-d, saved my life.

Has something similar ever occurred to you? Have you been protected from something by some small delay? A car whizzed through a red light, missing you because your skirt caught on a fire hydrant, or you stepped wrong and needed to fix your shoe and so were out of its path?

These are presents as well, gifts of missing out, that protect us from something negative had they not occurred.

If you can remember such a time, even if it was something quite small, write about it.