Sliding Doors

So I have never actually seen the movie Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow. It came out in '98, but I find myself thinking about that movie all the time. As I understand it, it's a movie about missing a train and how two completely different lives stem from such a seemingly innate detail.

I found this synopsis on IMDB:

"A London woman's love life and career both hinge, unknown to her, on whether or not she catches a train. We see it both ways, in parallel."

Here's the deal. I don't want to see this film. I am sure that it isn't as absolutely enlightening as the concept is behind the drama, and I know I would be let down. But it does make for absolutely delicious commentary.

For instance, moments ago on an unusually dreary and wet day here in Nashville I made a routine pit stop at the local HG Hill market for some jerky and swung by Dunn Brothers Coffee for some tea and a few minutes to myself. Chatting away with my mom about nothing, (our conversations are extremely consistent but rarely do I say anything she doesn't already know), my boot suddenly gave way and slipped out from under me.

In that moment, my phone flew out of my hand and I knew I was going down. Wearing a white coat and knowing that this may end in a broken tailbone, I could do nothing but just let gravity play it's evil tricks.

Before I knew it an angel appeared, in a red hoodie and skater shoes, reaching out to save me from a bitter fall. He didn't know me. It probably would've been a funny story to tell his buddies later, about how this dressed up professional chick bit asphalt right in front of him. But he didn't let me fall. A stranger reached out and saved me.

I don't know what parallel existence me falling on my arse would have created, but an awful afternoon would have been the first sliding door followed by a hefty dry cleaning bill and a broken butt to round it all out.

Life has so many possibilities, and I often wonder how many times a traffic jam has saved me from an fatal accident, a lost cell phone has kept me from making a stupid call, or a bitter loss has helped me find what I was really looking for- or, in this case, a broken fall has kept me from uttering one more cuss word followed by a renewed appreciation for my fellow man.

But most of all I wonder, if that guy hadn't of caught me what consequences would be plaguing me right now? And introspectively, how many times have I let someone fall down right in front of me and never reached out a helping hand?

To the dude in the red, thank you for teaching me a lesson, and thank you for setting the example for how we can all save each other one broken fall at a time.