Near Death Experience

Driving 70 mph, at mile 86 southbound on I-95 on my way back from AC, my right front tire blew out.

Giant tractor-trailer rigs had been blowing by me at 90 mph for hours. Crazy guys in souped up Acuras and Beemers were weaving in and out of the traffic that had — finally — been liberated after the hour-long Delaware toll plaza slog (unbelievable, really). It was just about midnight.

The wheel suddenly became unresponsive and there was a godawful grinding noise. I knew I was going to die. I had a vision of twisted wreckage, a fiery explosion, a charred and unidentifiable corpse.

Obviously, since I'm writing this, that didn't happen. I managed to wrestle the wheel enough to cross two lanes of traffic to the shoulder. I brought the car to a halt and hyperventilated for a few minutes while I waited for the adrenaline surge to subside and the shaking to die down a bit.

The rest was a long saga of inconvenience, expense, and exhaustion, featuring my crappy and unreliable cell phone, a polite but not particularly warm and fuzzy state trouper, and a kind and helpful tow truck guy nicknamed "Shrek."

My thanks to friend L. for being so good to me when I called her in a panic, feeling horribly lonely, vulnerable, and scared while waiting in the dark for the tow truck to arrive. I now realize that not only did I wake her up, which was bad enough, but it was on the night before she was heading out to a marathon week of her organization's annual conference.

My thanks to VW for providing a full-size spare tire.

My thanks to God for providing another reason to remember that if you're alive, you're already ahead of the game.

Note to self and others: when stranded on the side of the road at night, if your car is not damaged, leave it running while you keep your hazards and/or headlights on. Otherwise you wlll run down the battery and add substantially to your inconvenience. Trust me on this.

Other note to self: run, do not walk, to get an iPhone the moment they are available. You must get a cell phone that actually works reliably in an emergency.

You don't have to live like a refugee...

...When you have wonderful friends willing to put you up on a moment's notice.

It's nasty out there. I nearly died on my way over here to D. and L. 's for dinner, and if I'd been thinking straight I'd have turned around and gone home after seeing the first three accidents. But no, I forged ahead, and pretty much slalomed into a parking spot on the street, rear wheels fishtailing right up to the curb.

The prospect of wending my way DOWN one giant hill and then UP (as if) another to get home over the black ice and under the freezing rain, well, it was chilling.

These dear, dear friends offered me a futon in the basement and I accepted with alacrity. So I am happily online on a borrowed MacBook, wirelessly connected to the world wide everywhere. Ain't technology grand?

Well, yes, but good friends are much, much better.