Karmic Balance

This was an unusual week! Occasionally, when under a lot of stress I suffer from hypotension (very Low blood pressure that makes me feel faint along with other unpleasant side effects). June and July have been particularly stressful since my long term roommate and grandma of the 3 boys I’ve been raising died suddenly. Hypotension episodes had been plaguing me for about a week and I was managing to wrestle my body back into balance with a lot of support and piles of sea salt. I was still a bit under the weather when I took off Tuesday morning down Highway 4 on my usual weekly run to the Concord farmers market.

As I was skimming along in the fast lane heading east just a couple of miles before the 680 interchange, I suddenly saw a large silver car (or SUV? The photo below is just a visual aid not the car in question) heading straight towards me going about 80 mph in My lane. NOT on the verge, but driving straight towards me IN MY LANE, the fast lane of a 4-lane freeway. I instantly braked and swung to my right just managing to pass behind the truck that had been to the right of me, and only because he moved right as well, luckily having a free lane to his right. The car sped on by and my passenger and I exhaled in shock and called 911. Along with, I’m sure, at least a dozen other people on the road.

It turned out that the very wide freeway median, mostly full of trees and metal barriers, is open on either side in a few places to allow earth moving machines into that center area to widen the freeway to more lanes over the next couple of years. Which means that someone can, and did, find their way from the westbound lanes across the divide to the eastbound lanes. Was he high? Probably. But the takeaway from the Highway Patrol is to drive even more alertly until construction is done and don’t use the fast lane if you can help it because that’s where someone joyriding in this way would wind up. Yay.

Ironically, this generally “heart-pounding” experience had an unusual side effect: my blood pressure instantly rectified itself. I felt fully myself for the first time in days. My BP an hour later was 108/63...nice and normal. A little balancing gift from the Universe as if to say, Well, if you’re not going to take this opportunity to die, might as well operate at full capacity!