The Butterfly Effect

My grandmother is a psychic and no one is ever going to convince me otherwise, and here is why.

Growing up I came to the realization that I am lucky to be alive on Earth. I discovered that every choice or action had an effect and anything throughout time had a chance to cease my existence. One day, that choice took effect on my mother.

When my mother was a teenager, she was invited to a friend’s birthday party. The group of girls planned for a day on the beach to hang out and celebrate. My mother decided to wear her brand-new bathing suit and had her bags packed for the trip. Just before my mother was going to leave, my grandmother changed the future.

“You are not going to the beach today,” she said to my mother.

“Wait, why can’t I go?”

“I just don’t have a good feeling about it, you’re staying home today.”

“But mom, I’ve been planning this day for months with my friends. She would be crushed if I didn’t go to her birthday party.”

“I don’t care, you’re staying home. End of story.”

It was at that time that my mother stormed off to her room and slammed her door to show just how angry she was.

As a teenager myself, I can understand my mother’s frustration. Especially because of the horrible excuse my grandmother gave her. My grandmother could have come up with any other excuse or reason to keep my mother home from the beach that day. But “I just don’t have a good feeling about it,” is what my mother got.

My mother called the girl who was supposed to pick her up to inform her of the news.

“Hey, my mom said I couldn’t go today.” She continued to explain why she was not allowed to go and what my grandmother told her.

“Well, I’m closer to you than I am with the other girls. So, if you’re not going then I won’t go either.”

Even after my mother’s temper tantrum, my grandmother allowed for her friend to come over for the day. If she was going to place my mother under house arrest, she might as well be allowed to have a friend to entertain her.

Since there were so many girls that were invited and planned on attending, the birthday girl decided to split the group into two SUVs. Once all the girls got picked up, they were going to follow each other to the beach.

As predicted, the birthday girl was upset about losing my mother and her friend from the group, but the show must go on. The girls left and went to the beach in their two SUVs as planned.

Throughout the day my mother and her friend hung out and entertained themselves with different activities. My mother still ignored my grandmother for most of the day, until the phone rang.

Back in the ’80s, home phones ringing were not uncommon. However, the sound of my grandmother crying got the attention of my mother and her friend. Wailing and weeping came from the kitchen. Breaking her silence, my mother went to see what got my grandmother so upset.

The phone dropped and hung heavy towards the floor while my grandmother stood in shock. The birthday girl’s mother, who was also hysterical, was on the other line.

Turns out, the SUV my mother and her friend were supposed to ride in had crashed. While driving down the interstate, the driver lost control of the vehicle. It crossed over the median and went into oncoming traffic. The SUV wrapped around a light pole, instantly killing everyone inside.

The other SUV, with the birthday girl inside, witnessed the crash from the rear-view mirror. They pulled over to try and help but there was nothing they could have done. The vehicle was already on fire and emergency services had to rush to clear the area and put it out.

No one was prepared for an incident like that on such a seemingly perfect day. That day, my mother and her friend had lost a lot of people. I knew if my grandmother ignored her instinct, I would not be here today.

Throughout my life, I have seen my grandmother unknowingly predict things. Mostly small things, like one time she changed our route we were driving on because of traffic. However, there was no traffic but later we would discover a car accident had happened which would have made us late. Another example, she predicted my brother was going to play football. Seems like no big deal, but at the time my brother had a medical condition that would not allow him to play sports ever. Somehow, it healed itself and no one in the medical field has been able to explain how.

Since my grandmother saved my mother’s life that day, she was able to grow up and start something new. She met my father and spent years with him traveling and experiencing life together. Once they were ready, they had me and a couple of years later had my brother.

My brother and I have spent several years traveling to third-world countries during our summers to help rebuild and modify daily life for its residents. My brother helped build wells for a clean water source and I helped educate the children of different villages, hoping to ignite in them the same passion for learning I have.

Even though what my grandmother did that day seems insignificant, it ended up changing the lives of thousands. This story will always pop up in the back of my mind when I need it most. If I ever feel down or question why I exist, I remember that my existence itself is lucky. If I look farther back, I guarantee I would find more stories like this one which could have easily ended or changed everything about my life.

Knowing this, I will spend every day on this planet trying to leave it better than I found it. After all, we are all just lucky to be alive.