I was in an accident

on my way home last night.

It was a dark and stormy night

Nah it wasn't it was still daylight,

light rain and a greasy road.

I came off State Highway 1 onto

Main Rakaia Road, nice and slow

and as I accelerated from second into third

I hit a greasy, smooth piece of road.

I slid sideways for a bit,

ended up facing across the road

with my foot still on the accelerator.

As the ute gained traction

I shot across the road into the really big, water filled pothole

then bounced out of that onto the truck bay,

across the gravel and landed in the long grass.

With my foot on the brake

I slid to a stop about a foot from a concrete fencepost and

a stockbank with a water race on the other side.

I turned the engine off,

stopped for a minute

rubbing my head that had bounced off the roof

mashing my ugky sunglasses in to my skull,

got out

and took a look

expecting a burst tire,

I hadn't heard anything go bang and

there was nothing.

Everything looked normal.

So I pulled a rather large branch out from under the ute

got back in and drove another 20 minutes home.

But in 4 wheel drive.

The weirdest thing?

I was and still am totally calm about it.

What I'm attributing it too?

Protection of the Holy Ghost

because I should have a been a screaming mess

but instead I remember everything and

clearly thought

"take your foot off the accelerator"

"now put your foot on the break"

All day I had been imagining having the Holy Ghost with me

not in the usual "oh yeah he is here looking after me" guardian angel kind of way.

But in a clear, in-person kind of way.

When I left work I imagined him sitting in the passenger seat

like I was giving him a ride somewhere.

I had turned off the radio and was driving in silence.

There were no distractions.

Just me and the Holy Ghost having a yarn

and a crash.