Near Misses

Every so often, there are those moments when you get a glimpse into that alternate universe that would form if you made a different decision, when you realize that you had a near miss. I had one of those yesterday. I've been wanting to see the new version of Jane Eyre, but it's only playing at theaters that fall into the "you can't get there from here" category for me, with a long, indirect and unpleasant drive. But one of those theaters is at a train station, so I had planned yesterday to try the new rail line that runs not too far from my neighborhood and make a day in the city out of it. Then when I got up that morning I really wasn't in the mood for that sort of thing and stayed home.

On the evening news last night, there was a story about the escalator at that station malfunctioning, speeding up dramatically and seeming to come disconnected, with a number of injuries. It happened at about the time I'd have been arriving at that station for the movie. If I'd gone, that could have been me.

I had something similar happen a few years ago during one of those day in the city trips. I was on the train and noticed an ad saying you could get a discount on your zoo admission on that day of the week if you showed your train ticket (and there's a train station at the zoo). I thought that might be something fun to do, since it's been ages since I've been to the zoo. I believe I was on my way to a movie then, too, and I thought I'd pop by the zoo after the movie. But then after the movie, I decided I wasn't in the mood for the zoo, and it was spring break, so the zoo would likely be crowded. I could take advantage of the deal some other week, and I went home.

Then I got home and saw on the news that at around the time I'd have been there, a gorilla had escaped from its enclosure and attacked several zoo patrons.

I guess sometimes that "I don't really feel like it now" feeling may actually be a warning message.

I'm looking forward to my first Friday night at home in ages. I'm going to make fajitas (I'd planned that for dinner last night, but the avocado I bought Tuesday stubbornly refused to ripen enough for making guacamole), watch some TV, and then I may do some writing or watch a movie.