I almost made it to the end of the year without incident. Well, except for being stuck in the mud on the east side of the Salton Sea. Another story for another time.

On December 30th I was in east county San Diego making my way toward my hair appointment. In the left lane of three lanes of traffic when in the middle of an intersection my rig, EmmyLou, stopped. A horrible grinding noise occurred and I was stuck, in the middle of an intersection of a heavily traveled road. Sigh. My emergency lights came on. For moments my life came to a halt. No going forward, no going backward and angry drivers blowing their horns and zooming around me.

Instant panic ensued. A call went out to my roadside assistance, Coach-net. When they asked if I was in a safe place, I lost my cool and said “NO!” and started to talk as fast as I could. The words poured out.

A car pulled off to the side of the road. Two men came running over. They managed to push me to the slow lane. Then they got in their car and disappeared.

The police arrived, the volunteer police joined the menagerie and finally I was no longer alone. I had support around me. This helped me calm down. I figured out steps to get out of this mucky situation. Thanks to Coach-net’s efforts, the tow truck arrived, another angel. EmmyLou is now safely at a Sprinter Van garage. She is waiting for diagnosis and repairs.

All of this took about four hours. One moment it was a little after twelve noon and then it was four o’clock.

I have lovingly been taken in by friends, my Covid Bubble, Cynthia and Ward. I have been given a car to drive and life is good, as much as it can be for now. I get to spend some quality time with people that I love.

I posted a picture on Facebook of EmmyLou being loaded on the back of the tow truck. At that moment, one friend asked if I was OK. What I heard was, “Are you safe? I care about you.” And that one moment and that one friend made me feel I was loved and not alone.

In our lives, long or short, we have all had moments like this. If you have not, I would like to know who you are. Each of these moments plays out a little differently. Those that show up momentarily, like the two men who pushed me out of traffic, are angels disguised as humans. Others, like Cynthia and Ward, stay through the process. They are to be acknowledged and honored for their support through my mess.

I am so thankful for all the angels support and love and caring. Because of these angels in disguise, I handled my stress better. I recognized I wasn’t alone when I felt the most alone. I have people to talk with. I have time to breathe. I have time to de-stress.

Situations like this remind me to reach out to others to help and support. It reminds me to stop and help those in need, to be a loving presence. I don’t want others to feel alone.

Today I am not so thankful for a broken RV. Today I am thankful for all those around me who helped ease me out of stress. I am thankful for friends who keep loving me, no matter what.

Today I am Thankful.