Thank you for not killing me

My wife would like to thank the woman who almost ran me over while crossing the street at College St. and Augusta Ave. on Thursday.

Because of your quick braking (after blowing through a red light), you managed to avoid making contact with my body and throwing me a good 20 feet into the air.

While that experience would have been a new one for me, the impact that was sure to follow would likely have resulted in a concussion, likely followed by death.

My wife told me that that outcome, though it would have resulted in charges and a generous settlement from a successful lawsuit (along with a death-benefit cheque and small pension), would have somewhat tainted her appreciation for a day set aside to celebrate love — for the rest of her hoped-for life.

This, however, is a small nothing compared to the guilt I would have felt (should I have regained consciousness before my demise) for both ruining your chance to save a few minutes on your journey and the resultant damage the impact with my 200-pound frame would have had on your 2,000-pound car.

Truly, I would have died a guilt-ridden man but for your skill in stopping barely 30 centimetres from me.

So on behalf of my bride and myself, thank you, madame. It was truly a delight to almost make your acquaintance.

I can say the same thing about your skill in preventing an early meeting between God and myself, too — one for which I was clearly not prepared at that time. Steven Eleftheriadis, Toronto