Long And Winding Road

How often do you get the chance to see a potential disaster coming your way in time to make a decision about an appropriate reaction? And this one is coming fast?

Yesterday I paid a visit to "my friend by the sea", and we had as usual a very good time. We've known each other for 18 years now, and seen each other through ups and downs. Well, my friend hasn't that much to do with latent hazards, but it was on my way home from her something happened.

It had already turned dark, and it was a bit rainy as well, so the street lights were reflected on the wet roads, making the conditions a little bit hard. The area out there is a kind of desolated with not that many houses, except from a few small villages. As I approached one I noticed a lit up soccer-field on my right, and more - I saw a ball being kicked over the fence. I guess I could have been a 100 m away, but even if I saw the ball it was very difficult to decide which way it was going. So I just kept on driving. Only seconds later the ball hit the front window bang on, and then bounced away. I almost laughed, while I continued down the road.

But my imagination also told me what could have happened had I not seen the ball coming. Instead of calculating the risks and passing this danger with determination, I could easily have been freaked out and lost control over the vehicle. Yet another car crash.