One of my biggest pet peeves is being thrown off my schedule. There’s something to be said for the element of surprise but I don’t need it when negatively alters my plans. I drove down I-45S headed to Houston for Father’s Day weekend. It was just before 9:00pm, dark and a fairly open road with minimal traffic. Great. I was making good time to be in Houston before 11:30pm.

Clack. I heard something hit the bottom of my car. I couldn’t see it but I brushed it off as hitting a piece of plastic. Then, I heard the noise of the object scraping beneath my car. Great. I pulled into a gas station after a passerby on the road alerted me there was something wrong with my gas. I looked in my driver’s side mirror and noticed the gas cap was closed.

As I stepped out of my car in the gas station parking lot, I noticed gasoline was spewing from beneath my car. I tried to keep it cool and get away from the gas station immediately. I pulled into a hotel parking lot instead, only to get out of my car and find gas continuously still flowing from beneath my car. Turns out I hit a piece of copper (not metal) that perfectly twisted underneath my car and busted my gas tank.

The blessing (among many) was copper doesn’t create a spark when scraped against the ground like metal. Had I hit a piece of metal instead, sparks would have been created and likely a fire would have started. Whew, thank God was not the case.

Many times in life, we (or at least me) get bent out of shape when unforeseen circumstances throw us off our path. The best made plans may not always happen the way we imagined. Our timeline may get thrown off. Surprises may be ruined. Bank accounts may be withdrawn for more than imagined. All these things may derail us. In those moments, it’s best to remember that all friction doesn’t start a fire. Even if it does, we’re equipped to extinguish it with grace.

Make plans. Make concessions. Leave room for the unexpected and know that you can handle it if it comes.