01/24/2026
Winston Churchill once said during a toast:
“I’d rather wish people good luck than good health or wealth.
Most of the passengers on the Titanic had both —
but only a few had luck.”
We tend to forget how much of life rests on timing, interruptions, delays, and detours we never asked for.
A senior executive survived 9/11 because he was taking his son to his first day of preschool.
Another man lived because it was his turn to pick up donuts.
One woman ran late because her alarm didn’t go off.
Another got stuck in traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Someone missed the bus.
Someone else spilled coffee on their clothes and had to change.
One person’s car wouldn’t start.
Another turned back to answer a phone call.
One man simply couldn’t get a cab.
But the one that stayed with me the most was the guy who wore new shoes that morning.
They rubbed his foot raw, so he stopped at a pharmacy for a bandage.
That blister is the reason he’s alive today.
Since I heard those stories, I’ve looked at inconveniences differently.
Now, when I’m stuck in traffic, miss the elevator, spill something, retrace my steps, or lose time over a small annoyance — I remind myself:
This might be exactly where I’m supposed to be right now.
So the next time your morning feels like it’s falling apart — the kids are slow, you can’t find your keys, every light is red — don’t panic and don’t beat yourself up.
Sometimes interruptions are protection in disguise.
