As I come to accept that I am not omnipotent, that in fact Hashem runs the world, I am amazed how often I see him intervening in my daily life. I know the skeptics say that the human mind will look for connections whenever and wherever it is told to. However, I often find myself doing things I almost never do, that at the time seem to have no logical basis, or are contrary to my normal patterns. Only later does it dawn on me that it was Hashem who made it happen. An example of this occurred today.
On my way to drop my daugher off at school, I parked where I and many others at her school park. It was my understanding that it was permissible to do so. I came out of her school and found someone putting a warning sticker on the car in front of me. He then told me that I was not permitted to park where I had. My temper flared. I informed him that he was wrong; that the administration had informed us that we could park there to drop our children off. He reiterated his point. He began to write my license plate number down. Although I had already begun to pull out, I stopped, backed up and requested his name. Why? What did it matter? I would realize the true reason later.
Once I parked again, I checked the letter we received with the parking pass from the school. I was wrong. Although the area at which we are allowed to park was close to where I was parked, it was in fact a prohibited area. I felt quite foolish, even ashamed, for even if I had been right, clearly I had not conducted myself the way a person trying to lead a more religious life should.
Obviously, the only correct thing to do was to apologize. And because I had the individual’s name (and title incidentally), I was able to find him right away and apologize. Hashem knew that I would regret my actions and need to apologize, so he made sure I asked for the man’s name. He let me fail, but made sure that it would be easy for me to perform tsuva. If there is a next time, I am sure He will make me work harder for it.
(Side note: In the process of this ordeal, Hashem may have actually turned the man in question’s day around. He told me it was so unusual for someone to apologize to him in cases like this, that it made his day. 
I know, it still would have been better if I had not been a jerk.)
