When the universe conspires against good people

[Whether the writer is included in the 'good people' clique is at the discretion of the reader ;-)]

The dense smoky ambling traffic from Residency road to Indiranagar provides one with a wonderful opportunity to contemplate- contemplate traffic, contemplate why the bus next to you absolutely Must blow soot into your virgin lungs, or ever so rarely, contemplate life.
Recently, as I was plodding along MG road in first gear, I chose the last from the list.
It was a horrible day. All had gone wrong. Right from getting up at the wrong time to leaving my wallet back home, to having my first little bike accident. As things were, it seemed like none of it was my fault. I had done what i do every morning- set the alarm at 6:30, brake just as i did every morning, but everything had gone terribly amiss. It was as if the universe suddenly decided to send me a truck load of misfortune. Going home at 1030, I started juxtaposing life with an obstacle race. Only thing unique was that one way or another, one would complete the race, only question was, in what state- the objective was to complete with minimum damage to self. And as one progresses in the race, life throws up new surprises, new chasms to jump over, maybe a pack of dogs on the race track. If this was the case, how much of life, if at all, is really based on the wishful and deterministic concept of "cause and effect"? How much of today is a reflection of our past actions. Is it really a case of "Do your best and leave the rest to God?". And how does one recover after jumping over these 'obstacles'. How much time does one take to pick up the pieces and start running again?

The sequence of these scary thoughts was interrupted by me reaching home... Phew!!