1990 (probably), I’m 2 years-old and on holiday in Tenerife with my parents and other extended family.
Meanwhile, a storm is brewing at home in South-East England. Around 3:00pm on the day of the story, my mother calls the family-business back home to check-in.
The girl on the line who just picked up the phone immediately screamed, “Oh my God, Pauline is dead.” My mother’s name is Pauline — she was not dead.
In that moment, six tonnes of bricks were blown through the roof from what had once been a chimney, landing directly on my mother’s desk.
Being a family business, my grandfather (the then owner of the company) had recently had a crèche built on the top floor of the office building for his three (soon to be four) grandchildren — my mother’s office was situated in the adjacent room.
Given that it was 3:00pm on a weekday, my mother along with my brother and I should have all been on that top floor. My brother had a cot next to my mother’s desk whilst I played in the crèche with the Nanny.
My aunt, who shared an office with my mother, was also on holiday with us. Her desk had been hit so hard that a leg was sticking through the ceiling of the floor below.
The entire top floor was thankfully empty; my mother had even instructed the temp to sit on a lower floor while she was away to avoid working alone.
When the family returned home to assess the damage, my grandfather broke down in tears at the thought of losing half of his family.
If it hadn’t been for that holiday, my life could have ended that day, and my mother and brother’s lives would almost certainly have ended as well.
The path we follow in life is often shaped by randomness and the choices of others, rather than of our own making.
Seemingly inconsequential decisions can lead to life-altering changes that we could never foresee.
This example illustrates a life-saving decision that is clear-cut: if we hadn’t gone on that holiday, people would have died. How many other A or B decisions we’ve made in our lives could have ended in disaster if we had chosen the path never traveled?
Stay lucky. ✌️
