One of my favorite slogans is “life happens.” It does. Happened to us tonight. We went out to dinner with George Forss, the photographer,  and his companion Donna Wyndbrandt. The Cambridge Hotel, usually open on Sundays, was closed due to Mother’s Day. We tried three other places on the phone, then set out for Bennington, Vt., and the Rattlesnake Cafe for Mexican Food.

We had  a good time and then stopped for some ice cream and on the drive home, on a long dark road a deer came flying out of the woods and hit my car right on the left front corner. It happened much too quickly for me to brake or avoid it, and it was unsettling to see the wounded deer struggle and flail and then collapse dead. Nobody was hurt, but the car was damaged pretty heavily. I am grateful everybody is okay. It could have been a lot worse. The Cambridge Police came to take the report and I called the insurance company and tomorrow my car will be towed and I will probably rent another one.

If you live in the country, this will happen sooner or later. There are so many deer and so many panic and run into cars or get hit by them. I always think of the particular chain of events that has to occur for accidents. If the Cambridge Hotel was open. If we hadn’t gotten ice cream. If I’d stopped on the yellow light or had some tea after dinner. But everything in life is a lesson, and lamentations and second-guessing misses the point. Life happens to all of us, again and again. That’s what accidents are. Life happening. Each time this happens it offers the opportunity to be accepting, gracious, uncomplaining, and to remember that every single person on the earth has a harder life than I do. I do not ask myself why this happened to me but give thanks for my ability to deal with it. I will have my car back soon enough and I am so appreciative of the fact no one got hurt.  Tuesday and Wednesday Maria and I are heading off for a two day visit to a favorite in. Reading, reading, reading.