Feeling lucky today.

Between my cough and my son's, I only got about 4 hours of sleep last night (part of which was spent with my head resting on a stuffed Shamu - don't ask). So I left work early, a little before 1pm. I get on the freeway and this is what I see:

Seems that a big rig lost control on southbound Highway 101 and slammed into the center divide, bursting into flames and sending concrete chunks flying. I saw the flames.

I managed take take the next off-ramp, where I almost had an accident of my own because some moron had stopped his car and was hanging out the door to take a picture. I'm glad I didn't do the same--though I was tempted. Turns out that the flying concrete hit some woman's SUV in the northbound lanes, and she later died. I would have had a picture of a fatal accident on my cell phone. (I would have made a bad photojournalist.)

Here's the aftermath of the crash, from the San Jose Mercury News:

I just keep thinking: What if I'd left work a little earlier? What if I hadn't stopped on my way out to say goodbye to a co-worker, who, as I was leaving, told me to be careful? With my husband out of town, who would have noticed I was late picking my son up from school?

I go through my day in a fog of petty concerns. Until a close encounter with a disaster slaps me upside the head.

So I'm feeling lucky. But I still can't fall asleep.