Were you ever dumped by someone you loved?  Did you miss getting on a plane that later crashed ? Sometimes, you’re upset when things don’t go the way you expect.  But later, it turns out you were better off. Did you dodge a bullet today?.

I tend to be an impatient person, which I can easily blame on my mother, for her DNA didn’t include  a patience marker.  My brother and I both lacked that trait,  while my two sisters got the laid- back gene inherited from  my father.

If you’re impatient, you tend to get upset if things don’t go smoothly.  Like, if you’re waiting in a long line at the grocery store on a stormy day and someone’s slowly writing a check, and the cashier has to call a supervisor from the back of the store to mosey up and  okay the check.   While you’re  irritably  clocking your wait time ,  the other lines are moving swiftly.  Then, the moment you finally  walk out of the store, the rain stops,  the sun comes out, and you see your worst enemy in the car next to yours, backing out of the parking lot. . Yes, you dodged that bullet.  Now, aren’t you glad you got stuck waiting in line?

The most common dodged- that -bullet scenario comes from a relationship that went south.  Say you were engaged to a guy who broke it off, and later he gets  arrested for doing drugs. Or a man regrets not marrying his beautiful young girlfriend.  Fast forward five years, and he sees her hanging out at a bar, haggard, overweight and  drunk.

Once, I applied for a  job that I really, really wanted.  Didn’t get it.  Two months later, got a job that ended up being my career until retirement.

Other bad things that happen can be a blessing in disguise.  You get fired from a crappy job and get a better one later. You were saving for a  move to California when your car breaks down. A week later, you meet the love of your life right in your own hometown.

The next time something doesn’t go well,  you may have dodged a bullet.  Every cloud has a silver lining.