I hope that this post finds everyone in good health. Today I wanted to talk about a near-miss that I had on my morning commute. I was traveling east on a two-lane interstate, and traffic was not too bad, so I was going (about) the posted speed limit of 70mph. As I was approaching a major off-ramp, there were vehicles in the right lane slowing to exit from the interstate. I moved to the left lane to avoid the approaching, slowed vehicles, and several cars behind me did the same.
I could easily see the exit ramp about two miles ahead on the right. It was then that I noticed something unusual: there was an older model truck sitting in the “V” on the side of the interstate between the area after the off-ramp and the interstate, and it was facing the oncoming traffic. I began to theorize about what had happened to the driver for them to end up with their vehicle in that position: did they have a wreck that turned them around? Maybe it was a blown tire and they lost control, with their truck spinning to face the oncoming traffic?
However, as I approached, about one mile away, I noticed that the vehicle was not wrecked, and in fact I could see an older gentleman sitting in the driver’s seat. Again, I began to theorize about what had happened to him. Did he get off at the wrong exit and quickly made a U-turn on the exit ramp to get back on the interstate? Was he confused and driving the wrong way up the off-ramp? I felt a little sorry for the guy, as he was obviously in a bad situation. What happened next, however, quickly changed my perception if this elderly gentleman…
I was now less than one-half mile from his truck, literally seconds from passing him by, when he decided that he was going to re-enter the interstate. He proceeded to start driving, perpendicularly across both lanes of traffic and then turned his front wheels to start heading east. I was surprised by this sudden turn of events: traveling at 70mph on a two lane interstate with a truck only yards ahead of me, perpendicular to the oncoming traffic! I could literally see the driver, intently concentrating on turning his steering wheel, oblivious to the fact that I was about to t-bone his truck! I quickly swung my vehicle onto the grass median, sliding in the wet morning dew, nearly hitting his truck in the process.
Thankfully, I was able to pass him on the median, retain control, and jump back onto the interstate with minimal problem. My heart was beating furiously from the adrenaline rush, and my thoughts were racing, my head filling with creative new adjectives to describe the elderly gentleman for whom I had recently felt sympathy. However, I felt a certain level of comfort in the knowledge that I had handled a potentially life-threatening situation well and had emerged unscathed.
Thankfully, due to some advice that I had received earlier in my life, I had mentally rehearsed a similar scenario, and was prepared to act when the situation presented itself.
We can easily correlate our daily actions to our professional lives, applying the old axiom “Expect the unexpected.” While we often spend our work time putting out fires, and dealing with the small, repetitive tasks that often seem to overwhelm us, it pays to invest some of our mental capital in preparing for worst-case scenarios.
Now, I don’t want to suggest that we should worry ourselves to death thinking about all of the what-if situations that could potentially happen, as this could easily consume our thinking and derail our chances of success. However, it can yield benefits to work through some of the more likely predicaments, so that we can form some framework in our mind of how we would begin to respond to these potential problem events.
While it is impossible to develop a step-by-step plan of action for every single unlikely event, the simple fact that we spent some time thinking through these dilemmas and contemplating our likely responses can pay dividends in the event we are faced with one of these expected challenges.
And a good bit of luck doesn’t hurt either…
Would you like to get an email every Friday where we share the newest things we’ve discovered about home inspections? CLICK HERE to sign up.
Want to be an Influencer in Your Field? Share This Post!
Thanks, Joe
