Gwyneth Paltrow (an actress you might know from such films as 'Shallow Hal' or 'Up in the Air' - or one of her better ones) received a letter (read: email) from a woman who had been running late on that fateful morning. She was further delayed when the aforementioned Ms. Paltrow bumped into her while crossing the street (in an "Oh that hurt; now my stuff is on the ground" kind of way, not in a "Nice to bump into you, how's your father" kind of way).
The woman was so annoyed that even the thought of colliding with America's sweetheart did not sweeten the blow of being an extra few minutes late. She could not have known how that moment would change her life.
She wrote to the actress, letting her know that she was on her way to work that day. Work...which happened to be located in the World Trade Centre. By the time she got close, the chaos had already started and she escaped with her life - a Sliding Doors moment if ever there was one.
It seems that hidden behind the biggest obstacles are the greatest opportunities. It makes me wonder which delays and ostensible 'mishaps' have hidden the hand of Providence, protecting us from what we cannot expect.
The stories are too abundant to tell, but whether heralded as a fluke, a fake or a lucky coincidence, sometimes we all stand in awe of the hand of God.
Grace Mathew is a Sydney-based writer and speaker who recently graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of International and Global Studies.