Fate can alter your outlook; SIX in the City.

Byline: JADE WRIGHT

DO YOU ever get the feeling that someone out there is looking out for you?

I couldn't help feeling awfully privileged when something fairly frightening happened a couple of nights ago.

I was merrily whizzing down the M62 to my friend's birthday party when, guite spitefully and for no clear reason, my front right tyre blew out, sending me from the outside lane into the middle one and making my heart beat faster than a fast thing.

This was when magical thing number one happened - the people all around me noticed what was going on and gave me the room to pull on to the hard shoulder without rudely smashing me and my car into tiny pieces.

Then, miracle number two was my location.

If I say so myself, I couldn't have picked a better spot to breakdown (just near Widnes, junction 7, if you're looking for that perfect sitting on the verge location).

I was right next to an emergency telephone, and I scrambled up the bank to safety relatively easily.

It was a glorious sunny evening and in my bag I had unwittingly packed the ideal marooned motorist survival kit - iPod, tangerine, water and, best of all, the ECHO.

I sat cross-legged on the verge and read every word of the paper. I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The columns made me laugh, the obituaries had me close to tears (good job it wasn't the other way round) and two hours passed very quickly indeed. Not bad for less than 50p, if I say so myself!

The rescue man came, swapped my tyre, and I tootled off to the party a couple of hours' late, but thoroughly cheerful and with a story to tell.

I think so many things in life come down to your outlook on them.

Like that clever Prince Hamlet said: "Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

Some things obviously stretch that a little bit - death, war and famine for example, but it holds true for everyday annoyances.

This week I've been worrying about the electricity bill. Now, what's the point in that? I have wasted minutes of my life being troubled by something that wouldn't make a full stop in the world's history.

My housemate, philosophical as ever, has come up with a great idea for paying it off. He's suggested we auction our names to the highest bidder. He thinks companies will pay for us to be their walking virtual billboards, with names like Heinz Walkers and Cadbury Sainsbury.

I have pointed out the flaw in his otherwise excellent plan - I'm not sure how keen my boss would be on next week's Food and Drink cover being written by Findus Boots or how the bands I interview would react when I introduce myself as Tetley Tesco, but he says the companies will pay all the more for the advertising.

You'll have to find out in next week's column, by VapoRub-Warburton.

'Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so'