In the wake of Meg Cross Menzies’ recent death by car while running on the road, I spent the week contemplating whether it’s better to just avoid the road altogether for safety reasons.

And then.

Yesterday, I sneaked away from work to go to the nearby Subway. This requires driving through the intersection with a road that only ceased to be an interstate a couple of blocks earlier. Meaning that people are still napping at 80 mph coming through.

After sitting for the usual 14 minutes waiting for the light to change, I finally got the green and started into the intersection. Only to see out of the corner of my eye that a pickup never even slowed down as it barreled through the red light. Massive pickup at high speed into the driver’s side door of a 1988 Honda? That would leave a mark.

I slammed the brakes at the last second and just sat there, pondering life and death and fate and choices.

In the end, I guess it doesn’t matter much. You take your chances, you cross your fingers, you keep your eyes open.

Run on the roads? I suppose. Fate is fate.

Eat at Subway? No way. That stuff will kill you.