I love dogs. I’m pretty sure one saved me. Honestly, it might have been an angel.
Yesterday, I was driving home from my NC stay on magic mountain, just outside of Burnsville. It was hard to leave my friends and their little mountain lions, but I was also looking forward to being home in my little space, with house kitten Tucker.
Around the first of March, I began taking a very high dose of steroids and I’ve been tapering off since. Steroids WILDLY disrupt my sleep, so it’s been challenging since the start to get decent rest and naps are necessary.
They’re even more necessary now, as I’m adjusting to the lower dose and my body’s production of cortisol comes on line again. Afternoons now require a nap, whereas a month ago, the high-voltage buzz of prednisone made a nap welcome but optional.
I was an hour outside of the metro on I-85, a monstrous highway which ranges from 6 to 10 or 12 lanes and is one of the major arteries through ATL. I was marking time to getting off the monster and heading west on city streets because I could not keep my eyes open. It was as if they were weighted. I thought the stop and go of smaller streets would help. The numbing effects of the highway and the afternoon energy drop were having their way with me.
I didn’t even know until I looked it up that there’s a thing called “microsleep,” but that’s what was happening. At 60 miles out, I knew objectively I should stop, but I was dead set on getting home so I opened the windows, cranked the air to crazy cold, changed the music, tried all of the things that work when I’m road tired and drowsy.
Nothing helped. It was like that minute after they start twilight sleep for a medical procedure. Impossible to fight, and then it takes over.
I asked AI what that was, what happened to me, someone who despite being a little flighty in a lot of areas, is pretty sensible when driving. “Microsleep is absolutely a documented thing. It’s not just drowsiness — it’s actual sleep, measured in seconds, that the brain slips into without permission. You can be eyes-open and functionally unconscious. And the particularly insidious part is exactly what you described: by the time you’re deep enough in, the metacognitive ability to recognize “I need to pull over” is already offline. You can’t intervene because the part of you that would decide to intervene is already gone.”
I was in the “functionally unconscious” stage of the thing. Past making a sensible decision. I was also in the inside lane of three, next to the inside shoulder.
And then a Bassett hound stepped into my lane from the left, about 100 yards in front of my car.
I had cruise set on 80. I slammed on my brakes and swerved hard to avoid hitting him. In the rearview mirror, I saw him step back into the shoulder space.
I love dogs. Like in a crazy way. I have suspicions about their purpose here. Sometimes I’ve caught a look in a dog’s eyes that I’ve also seen in two encounters with angels wearing human suits. Maybe not all dogs, but some are here as that too. I’m convinced.
Nearly hitting a dog on a crazy busy highway got my attention like nothing else. I panicked. I needed to save it. The next exit was I don’t know where, 5? 10? miles ahead? Every lane was packed with cars, pickups, 18-wheelers. What should I do? I called two dog lovers. My sister: “I’ve had the same experience; I’ve tried to find them going back, and it’s never happened.” Called a friend for an all-dogs-go-to-heaven, no-pain-with-departure, it’s-just-up-and-out-and-free when we leave our human (and doggy) suits pep talk.
It didn’t really help. Even the thought of how it might have gotten there filled me with rage. And angst. And I’m still roaring down the freeway toward my turnoff point, heartbroken.
And wide awake.
I mean WIDE awake. I was so full of adrenaline I don’t think my eyes would have closed if I tried to shut them. I mean I was hyped.
And awake. So awake.
And in the next few minutes, a drifty little awareness began to surface. It occurred to me that the dog encounter actually saved me. It’s one thing to be a little drowsy when driving, it’s another to be in the bizarre near-unconscious eyes-open state I was in.
I was genuinely in danger of nodding off completely and had passed the point of being able to make a good decision.
And then the dog. It took a couple of steps into my lane, a couple of steps back to the shoulder, and I WAS AWAKE.
I was yanked out of that somnolent state.
There was an intervention.
Was it accidental, a remarkably timed coincidence?
Recognizing all of this as I reached my turnoff point, there was the strangest sense of peace. I don’t believe I’d have made that last 20 miles. And then I did because the one thing that would get my attention almost beyond anything else, that would bring online my body’s electrifying full bore freak-out fight-flight ALERT system, that could overcome the chemically-induced afternoon steroid slump, was activated instantly when that dog ambled into the road 100 yards in front of me.
I still don’t like to think about it, because it was hard to see, but I can’t deny the effect. I’m pretty sure I’m here writing this because of that encounter.
My sister once flipped her car on an an isolated country road and “a man” helped her get out as she hung upside down from her seatbelt. A man who wasn’t there when help arrived. A man whose presence filled her car with light. I’ve been saved by angels several other times when I was in serious danger. Books about angels written by sensible, intelligent people are full of stories like this.
So was my Bassett hound an angel in disguise? Was it an emissary? Was it a useful tool of guides and angels? Given the before and after, I’m pretty convinced. I would very likely have been seriously injured or dead (dead is fine, maimed not so much) and would no doubt have done damage to others.
And then an intervention. I’ll take it as I sit here safely at home in my cozy meditation chair, reveling in the cool morning air. With gratitude.
_____________________
And a little more magic with this … I was listening to Suzanne G’s Monthly Connection last night, thinking about this whole experience, and these words from Sanaya came out of her mouth: “Joy. You are awake now!” Yes.
An Unexpected Mystic 
I am truly glad and grateful that it was not your exit point; glad that you were able to jolt awake and avoid any accident. Bless that intervention for working so well❤️ !
LikeLike
It’s really interesting that I’m also glad. I feel very lightly attached to this human experience since my husband and my two soul dogs, my dad, Brenda, and so many more have departed since 2012. I am HAPPY and content! But also would not mind at all … and yet I was glad to have had the intervention. Isn’t that interesting? Thank you for reading, Marilee.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“I feel very lightly attached to this human experience since my husband and my two soul dogs, my dad, Brenda, and so many more have departed since 2012.” I’m so glad you wrote this because I feel the same way. It’s helpful to know others feel the same way.
(I’ve tried to post comments on several of your recent posts and I’ve had difficulty. Trying again using Safari. In any case, I appreciate your writing very much.)
PS I encourage you to set up a menu on your blog here so it’s easy to navigate to the homepage and see your other posts. Maybe you have one and I just haven’t found it. 😊
LikeLike
Oh I think there are a LOT of us out here … those whose grief experiences have been more extensive than others. I’m sorry you’ve had trouble posting comments. I thought I’d enabled all necessary permissions so that people don’t have to sign in and that sort of thing. I’ll check into it ~ also the menu, which really is on my to do list. Thanks so much for reading and no, you’re not the only one. Blessings.
LikeLike
And it was a JOLT! Like being plugged into a 240 socket!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Every single one of your newsletters touches my soul. Thank you! And I have had those angelic encounters too, initially attributed to fate, but now I know. You are meant to write more newsletters to inspire all of us
LikeLike
Well thank you for this. That means a lot to me. Bless you.
LikeLike
so grateful you’re still with us! Wow, what an ordeal! I get that afternoon steroid slump, tapering off the stuff myself, having taken a round of it. Just driving home from work I’ve experienced that microsleeping, eyes wide open, wondering if I’ll even make the 2 miles without hitting a deer or the ditch. Oh yes, the stuff messes with your sleeping hours, too. Big time. It’s 5 am here and I went to bed at 1 am. A nap is sure to come soon.
I love this, “Joy, you are awake now!”
LikeLike
Yes, that felt like the icing on the cake. AWAKE! You are! (We are!) And thanks to that dog ~ who I keep seeing so deliberately stepping into my lane, looking my way, and then deliberately stepping out again after I’d passed ~ here to fight for sleep another day lol. Thanks for reading, Carol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A very timely intervention from on high and no damage to dog!
Now you need the wonderful sleep app sent as a gift yesterday from Suzanne. What a lovely gift!
Jx
LikeLike
Aren’t we the luckiest ones to be experiencing a time of such incredibly easy-to-access gifts? Sleep apps! My breathwork thing, which is giving me LIFE right now! Daily Messages. All of the ways we connect, find support, expand, experience … it’s really delicious. Thank you for reading!!
LikeLike
I absolutely adore you and the stories you share! They consistently bring me to laughter, tears, and full body chills. Thank you for sharing a piece of yourself each time you share your life experiences with us. If only we were all as brave and authentic the world would heal quickly. So glad for your angelic intervention!
LikeLike
Well thank you so much for this. But truly, we are ALL brave and authentic, magnificent and cherished. Our stories ~ ALL of our stories ~ bring us together and create a bond that brings recognition. “Oh yes, I see you and I know you see me, and here we are, the ONE of us.” Isn’t it magical? Thank you for reading.
LikeLike
I love it – all of it! So happy to hear you’re ok and full of JOY 💗
LikeLike
Chock full! Overflowing! Thank you for reading!!
LikeLike
I believe it was an angel in disguise and what better disguise than a dog……for you!!!!I am sure I have had encounters with angels in my life many times, but one in particular stands out to this day. Our daughter got engaged one New Year’s Eve and she and her fiance’ came to announce the engagement and show us the ring. I was amazed by the large diamond. She said it was a little too large for her finger and they would get it sized eventually……she was so happy to have it on her finger since this would be a first marriage for her. They were having a party that night with a big bon fire and fireworks. She called the next morning to say the ring slipped off her finger at some point during the event. She was devastated!!! We were going over to her property to help locate it…..fiance’ was using a metal detector to locate it. None of us found it anywhere. I decided to call the psychic hotline. I got a psychic (she said her name was “Angel”) who told me it was in the firepit, but it no longer glowed, as it was covered in ash. She instructed me to comb through the ashes. I went to my daughter’s house with a three-pronged hand rake…….scraping through the ashes with a vengeance!!!! Lo and behold, I hit something hard……it was the ring!!!! And it was as gray as could be. Our daughter was beyond excited. We immediately went to the jeweler to have it cleaned and sized. The jeweler said the diamond had a small chip in it (under microscope)…….not something we could see with the naked eye. At any rate, we were all so happy to have found it. I called the hotline the next day, asking for Angel, so I could tell her she was spot on and to thank her. They told me there was no one there by that name!!! I knew it was an angel with the name Angel!!! Thank you for telling us your story. Glad you are still among the living!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an INCREDIBLE story!!! NOE, for sure. “No one by that name.” My lord, that just gives me massive chills. Thank you so much for sharing this. LindaSue!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Lynette,
I’m so glad you are safe. I would question how a physical dog could get across all those lanes of traffic no matter which side it came from. You said you were in an inside lane, so a dog would have had to cross somewhere to get to the edge of the inside lane. Also, I simply believe in angels. 🙂
Jan
LikeLike
Yes, and on this particular highway, which was essentially five lanes with the wide shoulders on either side of the three, and cars literally 4-5 carlengths apart in all three lanes, how? I’m also recognizing today that the way the lane cleared before me and the dog, looking my direction, took several steps into my lane. It looked very deliberate. And as I braked and swerved and then looked in the rearview mirror, deliberate steps back to the inside shoulder. Very strange. And I am grateful, no matter how it transpired, because there was only one other outcome without an intervention and it wasn’t a good one. Thank you for reading!!
LikeLike
thank you, angel bassett hound!!!!! And thank you, Lynn, for sharing this!!!! xoxoxoxoxo Machi
LikeLike
Yes, I am thanking the long-eared baby as well. Very grateful. Thanks for reading, Machi.
LikeLike
as always, I love your writing style. Such a compelling tale leading us right to the angels.
thank you, Lynette!
LikeLike
And in rethinking all of it, I am remembering how many times in a moment of crisis I had an intervention, but did not recognize it as such. In this case, of course! The need was for a JOLT to get me out of my near-slumber. That happened. I was electrified. And then as I settled, though did not return to that drugged-sleepy state, the little rising up of a message. That was something, an intervention, you are always watched over… and then knowing it really was *something.* Not of this world. Angels always with us, that I know for sure. Thank you for reading.
LikeLike
such a beautiful story—a great reminder to all of us that we all have angels helping us in one form or another! 💙
LikeLike
ALWAYS! And I don’t buy the thing of “you have to ask.” The vast majority of people in the world will live and die without knowing, and yet they too are guided, adored, cherished, and often saved. Thank you for reading.
LikeLike
Dogs. Goodness what a gift they are. I love your blog so much! So glad you’re still here.
LikeLike
Honestly, I think that the majority of them, if not all, really are a special kind of angel sent here for comfort. SUCH a gift. Thank so much for reading, Sarah.
LikeLiked by 1 person