How is it that we know what we don’t know?

This morning as I headed out the door to drive up the road for my regular swimming appointment, I heard the rain on the roof.  As I unlocked the car I thought to myself, I’d like to stay dry before I have to get wet, so I grabbed a high-vis raincoat from the coat hook, threw it on over my trackies and togs and headed off, headlights on full beam into the dark morning. 

Up the road a bit I saw hazard lights flashing on the right hand side of the road – they looked to be off the road but nothing unusual.  Although it was an odd place to be pulled over, for …. yes – it was a truck.  As I got closer, I was trying to figure out, with my lights on low beam, what had happened.  I had to veer to the very left hand side of my side of the road and as I drove past slowly, I noticed a log was laying partly on the logging truck trailer and partly on my lane of the road.  The truck was full of logs but the trailer was empty.  I noticed the road, covered with loose metal and a few gouges worth of damage, as well as a pile of logs on the right hand verge of the road.  Other than the upright truck and trailer with its lights and hazards on, and a precariously placed log in the road way – that was it.  It must’ve just happened. 

I turned the car around and parked up in a driveway, clear from the side of the road, flicked on the hazard lights and dialled 111.  Again.  This is familiar territory.  After doing some maths in my head for the operator as to where I was exactly on our road (our driveway number plus maybe a kilometre or two, maths isn’t easy at this time of the morning for me), I grabbed the tiny little penlight torch from the glovebox and got out of the car. 

Then I  realised … how did I know to put on a high-vis coat this morning?  I never anticipated this, but here I was.  Wow!  How did I know what I didn’t know?   Thank you universe!    

Yes – the driver was fine – a bit stunned, maybe  a little shocked I think.  He was lucky.  He was waiting for the police and for help to come.  I waited on the side of the road, standing safely behind my car, waving my tiny torch around to slow traffic down and hopefully prevent a second accident.  The police arrived, a self-loading logging truck arrived and I was on my way home.  Dry and un-swum (if there is such a word).   

Civic duty for the day?  Check – done.  Intuition turned on for the day?  Check.   How the heck does that happen?