Wow! Surviving hanging from over the side of the hill! Literally!

This Monday started just like any other day or at least any other Monday with the alarm going off at 6:30am.  The first thing to do of course is to check my calendar on the phone to make sure I don’t miss anything on the day’s schedule.

As soon as I reached Malibu Diamond gym for my morning workout, I was shocked to find out that the gym was vandalized overnight. It was terrible to see the glass broken everywhere and finding out that someone broke into my home-away-from- home, where most of my mornings are spent.  As I finally got on the stepper and tried to get a workout, my son called with the saddest news. He had just found out that one of his childhood friends had suddenly died and no one knew why and how.

It was a little too much early in the morning. The sadness of losing a young life like that was unbearable and I had a good cry.

Somehow got through the workout and was driving home, slowly going up the hill as I enjoy driving every day.   Suddenly, I felt good as I saw my friend Hermine walking down the hill. I decided to stop and say hello. Hermine likes to talk. She likes to tell stories.  So to save her from standing in the middle of the road as she would normally do to tell me something, I decided to pull over onto a very narrow shoulder. NOT A GOOD IDEA.  PLEASE DO NOT EVER DO THAT ON A STEEP HILL OVERLOOKING A VERY LOW CANYON AND NOT IN A REGULAR LOW TIRE CAR. Well I did it and learned the hard way what a horrible mistake that was.

Once the story was finished and after a few laughs between friends and saying bye to Hermine, I tried to pull out onto the road again and the scariest thing happened. The tires were spinning but not willing to move forward, instead the car started slipping back and I realized I was very close to the edge and if I tried to move again the car could easily go over with me in it. If there was a chance to get out of this, I had to drive in reverse while staying very close to the road.  Problem is I AM NOT A

VERY GOOD REVERSE DRIVER.  Today, at this moment, when I am hanging over the edge, I so wished I had practiced driving in reverse.  IT WAS SO SCARY. I WAS TREMBLING, ALMOST PARALYZED AND STUCK TO THE SEAT.

Hermine tried to help. Then tried to flag someone driving up the hill for help. Finally a good Samaritan stopped. His name was Ron, and he tried to guide me in my reverse driving pursuit, but when he realized I might make a slight fatal mistake and drive right off the cliff, he offered to do it for me.  I put the car in park and somehow slid out of it. He took my seat and like a pro drove backwards hugging the road and eventually when I saw one tire coming back on the road I knew the danger was over and we will be fine.

I could not believe that time passed and I was actually driving back home.  I trembled and cried for almost three more hours. My body was so tight from shaking and my head was hurting.

Thank you JC for the tea and eggs to calm me down. It was an unbelievably interesting day for sure. 

Advise from Captain Chris McKernan, Firestation 71, Malibu.  In any car accident, get out of the car as soon as you can. Your safety is more important than the car.