Sometimes you need to think about what didn’t happen. When something bad happens to you, think about what didn’t go wrong, or how it could have been worse. It sounds a bit weird but let me give you an example.

After hitting the deer the other night, my wife and I starting talking about what could have happened but didn’t. We talked about how it could have been worse, and it has made the biggest difference in dealing with such a difficult situation.

Here’s our list:

• We took the Pilot because the check engine light came on in the Accord.  Had we been in the accord the deer would have come up on the hood and possibly gone through the windshield.
• I saw the deer and managed to start pushing the break peddle, the airbags did not deploy and no one slammed into the back of us (Capital Blvd is extremely busy and this was no exception).  I also didn’t swerve; let me remind you to do the same (or not do the same whichever is more grammatically correct).  I obviously would prefer to not hit a deer, but had I swerved I could have injured or killed other people.
• The deer died within minutes after impact – there is no way he knew what happened or felt it (I will avoid more details here)
• It just so happened that this took place in front of a Honda dealership.  A salesman and a mechanic came to our rescue (we were pretty much stuck in the middle of the road because traffic was so heavy – I didn’t want to risk getting Caleb out of the car and us get hit by someone, so we stayed put with our seat belts on).  One of the men stopped traffic while the other got the deer out of the road. The Pilot isn’t really drivable, but I was able to get it off onto the shoulder.
• The Honda people were very helpful (partly because they wanted to help and partly because they want us to buy a new Honda) – but in a situation like that, you’re happy to have all the help you can get. Anyway, we were able to leave the Pilot there and got a neighbor to come get us.
• The Honda dealership is right across the street from a body shop that is on our insurance company’s list of approved shops
• The mechanic that helped us called some friends that are hunters and we think one of them came to pick up the deer to eat – which could very well be a blessing to them in the down economy
• And finally, my deductible for collision is $250 so I was upset about having to pay that, but when I talked to the adjuster, they told me this falls under “comprehensive” which means my deductible is only $50 - it’s considered an “Act of God” (I would argue that most of this list was an act of God)

So the next time something bad happens to you, try thinking about what could have happened. It won’t take you out of the situation, but putting things into perspective sure makes it seem a lot better.