We’ve all used the “I feel like I got hit by a truck” hyperbole before. Whether it be that hangover from Thirsty Thursday creeping in Friday morning or waking up with every muscle in your body is sore from that spin class you did the day before and were too out of shape to be in, people use this line haphazardly to describe whatever it is their feeling. But what happens when you actually are hit by that truck, specifically a plow truck moving snow down a main street on your college campus. How does someone describe that severe pain.
As the little freshman who actually was hit by this hypothetical snowplow and left in a snowbank, I feel that the only appropriate line for this is “I feel like I got hit by life.”
As a first-year student at a large university in a new state far from home, everyday arguably feels like a slap in the face by life. It wasn’t until this week did I literally and metaphorically get plowed by life.
It all starts with that first moment of contact when who have no idea what is happening, why, or what you’ve done to get to this point. Then comes shock and disbelief as you try to wrap your head around what the heck is happening to you. Next, we predict the outcome - will I get an A on that exam I didn’t know was scheduled until two days before? Or will I die of hypothermia in a pile of snow because my purple coat wasn’t enough for the driver to notice I was in the street?
No matter the trauma experienced, whether it be physical, mental or emotional, it always seems to end with you picking yourself up, determining just how badly you were hurt and if those injuries sustained are ones that can heal on their own or if professional help is needed. In my case of the snowplow rest assured, I sought out the professional medical help, but all those little face smacks of last-minute exams and papers follow this same pattern. We get hurt, we allow ourselves a few minutes to come back down to reality, and we move on. And that’s life - a seemingly endless cycle of mistakes, pain, and resolution.
