During the COVID-19 pandemic, a woman drove into the back of my car on my way to school in South Africa, where we often encounter malfunctioning traffic lights. The impact was strong, and it caused tears in the backseat of my car. Initially, the woman didn’t stop, but she finally pulled over after convincing her.

I noticed we were both wearing masks, but I could see tears in her eyes. I asked her why she didn’t stop, and she explained that she didn’t see any damage to the car and was struggling financially due to the impact of COVID-19 on her livelihood as an artist. We ended up talking and connecting. She came to have supper at my house, and the incident inspired her to pursue other paths. It turned out that I knew her ex-husband. We both felt blessed by the grace we experienced on the day of the accident.

We never know how things will turn out or where we will make new connections. We always have a choice about how we wish to move forward, and nobody can take that away from us.