Nobody but me will likely remember the spot in the road. It could have easily been a disaster but that is not what I will remember it for. The morning traffic was overwhelming. While the tropical rainstorm had eased, it was still raining and the roads were slick. I had progressed as far as I could but evidently the car behind me thought he could squeeze through. So he went for it!
At the moment of side by side impact, my left pannier to his driver’s door, I was moving ever so slightly. The forceful nudge was enough to shift my center of weight dramatically to the right. Even as I went down I knew there was no hope of not laying bike on the ground. My focus was totally on trying to land gently, body and bike alike.
As I felt all over, nothing seemed to be hurting. I turned off the bike and started to wrestle with lifting the 500 pounds upright. Suddenly, emerging from my blind spot on the left, a stranger reach out to help. Without a word but with a knowing look on his face, his compassion and helping hand were perfectly timed! I looked back to see his wife sitting on his back, patiently holding it upright, sharing a smile as if she had seen it all before.
The pushy driver was concerned about my safety and his car in equal measure. Lucky they both seemed ok and so he wished me well.
As I think of that spot the point that stands out is the helping hand and gifts of charity in action. I could not have been able to lift the bike in the rain at that moment! For me, thinking about the place and the actions of a particular stranger that accepted my thanks without a word, right on the curve just after the bus stand is the “the very place he saved them! – the place he revealed his amazing power!” (Psalm 106.8)
I start today with a heart touched by unknown individuals! Carpe diem.
