You take the good, you take the bad. That’s life, you can’t have one without the other. Just like Keely’s shadow Talent, you have to have both the light and the dark.

It’s been a mixed bag around Castle Miller, lately. The loss of our feline companion brings the adoption of a new one. The elation of a diagnosis of my skin problems coupled with the nasty effects of the treatments. The lighter summer travel schedule of the Breadwinner’s job is ramping up as the weather begins to change. This leads me to the most recent addition to that bag of good and bad. Who’s tougher, deer or horse?

There was a survey that found that 52% of accidents occur within five miles or less from home. I can attest to those findings after Wednesday night. The Breadwinner usually calls to let me know he’s left and approximately when he’ll be home. I appreciate those calls. No, not so I can get my boyfriend out of the house in time—a long running joke between us—but because I’m a worrier. I’m always contemplating what could happen, good or bad. He calls me a pessimist, but I prefer realist. I like to be prepared mentally for anything life tosses my way. If I look at the bad, I appreciate the good even more.

Now, back to the tale of Don’t Swerve, Hit The Deer…especially on a bridge.

About fifteen minutes before he was due to arrive, the phone rings. Sure enough, that little inner voice—the one he calls pessimism and I call intuition—was right, he’s been in an accident.

A deer had come up from the river, jumped the cabling on the bridge outside of town. He’s not hurt, can’t say the same for the deer. No, he doesn’t need me to come get him, the car is drivable. The funny thing is, he’s most upset about how close he is to home. Just three more miles and he’d have been sitting on the couch watching the news, instead of waiting on the side of the road for a police officer.

I would have been more worried about how much damage was done to the car and would we need to start looking for a new one. Luckily, the damage was pretty minimal, we’ll be able to make the repairs ourselves. Which answers the question of who’s tougher, the Mustang wins this round. He’d done as driving experts suggest, don’t try and avoid the obstacle. When you try to avoid impact, you run the possibility of compounding the situation. This would have been even more hazardous on the bridge where there is no place to go, but down. Yes, I feel bad about the deer, but I’m glad my husband is alive. The world is a better place with him in it. Don’t believe me? Consider a world where I’m allowed to run unchecked.

On a lighter, much more enjoyable note, we went to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra last night. I’ve never been to a concert in Wells Fargo Arena and I can’t say I’ll do it again. I’m not one for cramped conditions and the seating was very constrictive. I don’t like people invading my personal space, touching me. So being stuck next to the dude who didn’t mind taking over half my seat was torture. Behind us were the usual seat kickers, but the Breadwinner was stuck next to a couple who felt the need to stomp their feet along with the music. Too bad they were rhythmically challenged.

The band, on the other hand, never ceases to amaze me. With the bigger venue, they’d been able to bring in a more expansive show. More effects, bigger effects. Fire. Fireworks. Lifts that hoisted band members up, suspending them over the crowd as they played. Huge screens with graphics to complement the music. Sensational light shows. And the music, oh the music! How I love this band. When you see a TSO show, you’re in for more than a typical rock concert, it’s more along the lines of rock opera. A story melded with music and theatrics. We’ve seen them four times now, three Christmas shows and Beethoven’s Last Night. As a bonus to those who bought tickets, TSO gifted us with a digital copy of their latest album, Letters From The Labyrinth. I’m listening as I type and the snow falls outside. I’m happy to report a rather relaxing, uneventful afternoon, for once.

Are the bad things in your life overshadowing the good? Vice versa? Or do they balance each other?