Talk about anomalies..things beyond ordinary that happen every now and then in life. Though we may think some of the events we come across in life are beyond expectation or comprehension, those events had actually been written for us long before you and me even came into existence, on The Preserved Tablet (al-Lauh al-Mahfuz)..=)
Winter break 2010, we were on our way back from a 10-day khuruj to Chicago when something frightening happened; The car I was riding in spun 360 degrees and skidded off the road into the snow piles between the opposite traffics. I was getting goosebumps when I noticed the speedometer just kept going up. For such a road condition, we were already going pretty fast. The road was kinda icy, and speeding was the last thing you would want to do here. Phew..even prior to the big slide I felt the car was making occasional sideways movements. Subhanallah..I could feel it to my bones when the car was spinning, but no one was making a single sound..no screaming, no yelling..and I myself did not feel the slightest worry about the car getting into an accident. Strange..maybe that's because it was happening too sudden. The spin was followed by a crash over a small speed sign on the road side, and then an emergency landing in a mass of snow in the middle of nowhere. Then, there was this short interval of absolute silence in the car. Everyone was taking their time to comprehend what was going on. I couldn't be more grateful that the car stayed in it's upright position..it could have turned over or landed on the sides but it didn't. We were fortunate enough that no cars were coming our way on the road. Oh great..now the tires are stuck in the snow and we couldn't get back on the road. After a series of struggle in the windy weather, we finally made our way out of the snow, back up on the road. The car suffered a couple of dents, but we all got out of the mess and back to Rochester in one peace. Alhamdulillah..what a ride.
I never really got into a serious accident before. But I had a life-threatening experience once when I was out in the jungle on a camping trip. This was back in my secondary-school days. We were trying to climb down this rocky hill using a rope tied to a big tree..the ground was somewhat damp and watery. When it was my turn down, unfortunately, I slipped off the rope and slid right down the slippery ground head-first. Now..my head was going straight for a big rock on the way down. Lucky me, I saw that coming. I made my last-second dodge from the rock by turning my head away and "Dush.." I made my landing in style. I took a moment to catch my breath..I couldn't believe I made it. The people around were just as startled as I was..there was a sigh of relief celebrating my being alive..haha. My shirt was a total mess, I was covered in mud all over. I never told my mom about this, I wonder how she would have reacted...
Another incident took place way back in time, when I was just a cute little boy..ahha. I was in my beloved kampung in Sungai Manik. So in my kampung, almost all of the houses have paddy fields as a backyard..and the houses are located alongside a small river, which separates them from a tarred road. In my case, the river is just next to my front yard. At that time we only had a very small, shaky bridge that connected us to the road. But now the bridge has been replaced with a mass of soil packed across the river..more sturdy and safe. Here the story begins..one fine day, I was cycling my bike across the shabby bridge when I tripped over a piece of wood and fell off. It was a small bike I was riding..the one with the side wheels. So, you know this was one of the crucial moments of my life: learning how to ride a bike. Okay back to the falling part..I didn't fall right off..thanks to my quick reflexes. I managed to grab a hold of the bridge's side. I was holding on tight, half drowning. The water reached up to the top of my head..at this point only my hand was visible. Poor little me..I couldn't even shout for help. Now what's going to happen to me? My mom was inside the house and as far as I could remember nobody else was around. This little kid could really use a saving right now or else..Even though I was down there for quite a while, I don't remember breathing any water into my lungs..hm..I actually did a good job holding my breath long enough for saving to come. By Allah's will, one of my neighbors just happened to be close by doing his chores. Well he didn't hear me shouting..but I guess he saw my bike lying on the bridge..and a hand?! From under the water, I could see the sky was kinda blurry, and watery..my mind was empty..well what would you expect a kid would do in his dying moments? This emptiness dragged on for a while until suddenly I felt my hand being pulled up..and seconds later I was back on the bridge. Yeay..I was saved. Now I can't quite recall the later part..but I saw my mom coming to me running..with this expression a mother would have when her child almost drowned.
Despite all these..I'm still here! He has made me live for almost 22 years now. Alhamdulillah..may He put blessings in the coming seconds, days, or years of our life..ameen. =)
