Magical Mondays on Friday

It's been a while since I posted a "Magical Monday" and since I'm going to be pretty much out of commission for a while, I thought I'd post one now.

Some time ago (and right now, I can't remember where), I read a suggestion about divination. It was something along the lines of: If you want to know the answer to a question (esp. a "yes or no" answer), say aloud that in the next few days, if the answer to your question is yes, you will see X (fill in the blank with your own item - something unusual), but if the answer is no, then you will Y. Now, it has to be something that you wouldn't normally see. A purple polka-dotted car driven by a clown, for instance (unless you live in an area where those are common).

As you've heard (read) me whine for several months now about my job, I decided recently that if I saw a red Volkswagen bug on my way home from work, the answer was I should quit. (There are tons of silver and blue ones around this area, but I hadn't seen a red one.) Sure enough, I started seeing them everywhere I looked. There were so many, I said, "Ok, if I see a green, yellow & white striped car then I know this is really the answer" (since, let's face it, basing such a huge decision on a red Volkswagen seems pretty stupid, and what's the likelihood of seeing such a striped car?)

Well, guess what I saw within the hour?

For several days, it seems I was plagued with red Volkswagens and weirdly striped cars until I finally typed up my letter of resignation. As I sat shaking at my desk, I said a fervent prayer asking whether this was the right thing to do, and was rewarded with a sudden, clear mental image of a red VW, so taking a deep breath, I went into my boss's office.

Here's what happened next:

She started asking me questions about why I wanted to do that, what were my plans, etc. As we talked, some other things came out that I wasn't expecting. She suggested I make a doctor's appointment to take advantage of my insurance while I could, and wait a few days before making a decision.

I said I would, and the next day, I drove to the hospital passing red VW's and weird, striped cars on the way. It turns out there were things going on with me that I didn't know about and that are going to require some intensive treatment. If I hadn't decided to quit and hadn't had such a great boss, God only knows where I might have been a month or two from now. As it stands, I will be taking a medical leave of absence for the next several weeks, and will still have a job (if I want it) when I get back.

While I wouldn't normally recommend such a precarious method for making life-altering decisions, I have to say that red VW probably saved my life, and by extension, my family.