rants | Anything is Possible!

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “straw.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

David and I do not use straws at restaurants because they are usually a waste of plastic. I know there are some people who need straws for medical reasons, and that’s fine, but we generally do without. This has been reinforced by a video I saw years ago of a turtle that had a straw stuck up its nose, and it was so painful to get it out. Ugh. I’ve occasionally made exceptions when I’ve gotten a smoothie and was feeling tired and needy, but I made sure to cut the straw up into little pieces before throwing it away. It’s interesting how often we have to repeatedly decline straws offered by wait staff out of habit. I get the habit thing.

The last straw is the one that prompts a decision to say ENOUGH! Is that the straw that broke the camel’s back? What a terrible image, and I don’t think that would happen anyway. But I digress. I have a history of tolerating a lot of annoying or even toxic behavior until something happens that makes me say, ENOUGH! This happened with the last guy I dated before David. He wasn’t a bad guy, but we were not a good fit. He talked constantly and would go on rants. I hate rants. Hopefully I will not rant about hating rants. Written rants are easier to tolerate because 1. I can take it at my own pace, and 2. I don’t feel the negative energy as much as an in-person or telephone rant.

I do not intend for my close call driving on the winding mountain roads to be the last straw. Having made progress in learning how to drive on those roads to volunteer with homeless dogs, I do not want to give up now in spite of the close call yesterday afternoon. I saw the vivid blue car speeding around the curve downhill toward me. As it approached, I was horrified to see the tires of the blue car had crossed the yellow lines and were in my lane!!! With a slight drop off next to me, I must have still instinctively cringed over as I slowed almost to a stop, gripping the steering wheel, while thinking, this is it. He’s going to hit me. (My stomach is tensing up remembering. Deep breath.) The passing only took a fraction of a second but felt like slow motion as I anticipated a bang, jolt, or a scraping sound.

Miraculously, the cars did not touch.

I have thanked God and the angels many times since then. When I got to a stopping place, I called the sheriff’s office to report what happened. All I knew was the location, direction, and that the car was vivid blue, like a new car color. I figured there aren’t that many vivid blue cars on the road these days, especially in rural areas. I say the driver was a “he,” but don’t consciously remember looking at the driver. Sorry if that’s sexist.

I always slow way down when I approach curves I can’t see around, Now I will be slowing down even more, especially on the close call curve. If someone is behind me, too bad.

The photo below is not the same road of the close call, but it is similar, and I would be on the other side going in the opposite direction with more incline. (I took this photo a couple weeks ago when David was driving.)

Today’s gallery honors angels with a few of the angels I’ve painted over the years… with gratitude. The first one is a small watercolor. The third is alcohol ink on tile. The rest are done in acrylic. Thank you, angels!