Twist of Fate

It was a typical workday, rushing around, 10 things going on at once. Always trying to sneak in one last thing before dashing off to something else.

Today I was preparing some papers I needed for a 4 p.m. appointment and pretty fixated on whether or not I had everything with me when I left for the parking structure. I have a great job and I work in a great downtown location, but the down side is I have to park two blocks away in a parking garage.

In cold weather, I'm not digging it, but that's what I have to do, so I do it.

Anyway, I'm rushing out to get my car, head down on Fourth Street, watching for icy patches on the sidewalk.

All of sudden, my foot landed wrong on some sort of grate in the sidewalk and my ankle wrenched to the side. I stopped in my tracks, straightened out my foot, gingerly set it down on the pavement in front of me to make sure it wasn't going to be painful and then -- SPLAT!!! -- about two feet in front of me a huge glob of ice and snow landed on the sidewalk.

It had fallen from somewhere high above me. I was walking next to a six-story building, so I guess it could have been the roof or else one of the ledges on the higher floors.

I walked around it -- and then it dawned on me.

If I hadn't twisted my ankle, that mass from above would have landed on my head.

So there must be a little angel out there who twists people's ankles.

To that angel, I say thank you.