I just escaped a tree branch falling on my car, a few hours ago.
It was a narrow escape.

The ill-fated tree branch met its timely fall and hit the ground, just half an inch (or an inch) before my car's front bumper.
It missed, just by that second, and the thing is, I watched the whole thing happen before my very eyes.

I was coming home from the city and the weather was just going through a rapid transition of change in just a blink of an eye.
While I was coming from a place where the rays of the sun were still alive, it quickly morphed into a series of dark and heavy clouds with the intermittent flash of lightning flickering in the skies, as though signaling that something is coming.
(Well, obviously it was a a storm, though in these few months do fall in the period of the annual forecasted monsoon season it is nothing surprising).

As I was passing by the different towns linked via the major highways in the city, the dark clouds just disappeared along the way and quickly it was the rain which stand in place as part of its progressive passage. It was nothing like your usual rain, to be honest, and it was a massive downpour.
Raining cats and dogs would be even considered an understatement for this is more than just any heavy rain one could imagine; raining elephants and dinosaurs are more like it (I am trying to paint that vivid image of the extent of the rain earlier).

I am glad that I was inside the car, but also not exactly relieved for visibility became poorer and the strong wind that just joined in the party was not a good combination.
It was actually a very scary picture and even just recalling that image of the rain sends the chills down my spine.
It was all dark and surrounded by strong patters of rain hitting it hard on my windscreen as though it is pushing its way in its own attempt of invasion was just all terrifying to say the least, while straining my eyes and keeping my eyes on the road; the whole time maintaining a strong grip on the steering wheel.

The head lights probably even lost their purpose, for it was almost next to impossible to even see other cars, though one can only make out the faint flicker (very faint).
It was all a blur.

My heart went out to the motorcyclists who were going against the pattering rain yet holding on to the handles of their bikes to maneuver their motorcycles from swerving due to the furious wind challenging their resistance repeatedly.
Most of them were wise enough to stop aside, though still a dangerous move and I could not help feeling sad (teary-eyed) when I saw some of them without rain coats and they were just drenched wet, as they sat there, heads down on their bikes right in the open while the heavy raindrops pelted hard and continuously at their helmets.
Some of the cars pulled over to the sides too, as the rain was just too brutal to keep on driving.

I drove really slowly, because it was really a no-brainer; to speed when one can't even see what lies ahead and thick puddles of water are just everywhere.
Everyone else was doing the same; it was just sensible.

I was approaching the bend leading into my district (quite close though not exactly at my residential area yet) and the rain was still heavy.
From my windscreen, amidst the interchange of clear and blurry vision by the furious and repeated strokes of the wiper, I could see the strength of the wind as the raindrops were just swayed in a diagonal and wayward fashion; skewed to one side and the trees appeared to be seemingly dancing though it was more of an aggressive shake by the mighty and invisible force.

It was there and then that I saw, to my horror, one of the main branches of the tree at the top of the tree just crackled all of sudden.
It was not a really huge tree branch, yet it was not exactly frail in size either.
It just snapped vindictively from the top of the tree; as though in anger and the next thing was, it started to topple over the mass of the tree leaves at the top towards its right, and onto the road.
It all happened in a blink of an eye or in less than half a second, and it fell right before my very eyes.
I could see it from the moment it snapped and fell, for I was just approaching it.

Thankfully, the other car ahead of me had gone up far, and there was no car in between.
I dare not imagine had there been a stretch of cars lined up on that part of the road, which is fairly common in everyday's traffic condition and this is a rainy day.
(Rainy days usually lead to heavy traffic due to road accidents, diversion of cars due to puddles of water, slow driving, etc).

It was a good thing that there was no car at the time of the fall.
As for me, I was supposed to be the next one to reach and it could have been me.
I was driving so slow, and I just braked and signaled to switch to the right lane.
The car approaching from behind was also courteous enough (he was also slow) to allow me into the lane (I bet he saw the fall as well).

I could have been hit by the tree branch.
God knows what kind of damage on the car, though that is not the main concern.
It could have hit me.
It is a heavy tree branch, and forget about the car, it could have just fell on the car and right on my head.
It could have even killed me.
That was the thought that made me shudder in fear.

I thank God and my guardian angel for protecting me, and for making sure that did not happen.
It could have been something God was trying to tell me, I am sure, as always with most of the other things (good or bad) which have happened to me.
I have had my fair share of accidents with this car, but I have never thought of them negatively though it was quite a misfortune initially.

Today though, God led me away and stopped me short of being hit (or possibly killed) by this waning branch.
He is there and He showed me that even misfortunes could be good.

I was shaken but yet, I know that God has again shown me that He is and will always be there.
That very thought forced fear out of me in an instant.

It is a near-death experience; or a possible near-death experience and though I find it daunting to picture, the very fact that I could still write this post and share my story is a blessing already.

The best blessing is that the tree branch fell on the road and just obstructed the flow of traffic (blocking part of the road) and it did not caused any injury on any human being.

It is a scary thought but when I thought of how this branch escaped harming others, it is comfort enough.

This is truly a rainy day to remember.

Just a message to everyone, do look out for trees and always drive with caution; no matter the circumstances.