As I was driving home from work tonight, I almost got in a car accident, one that would have been pretty bad as it was not only raining and on a highway, but it was nighttime. The first thing I thought right after I so barely dodged potential death was, "Wow! I have cat-like reflexes."
Psych.
My first thought was, "I can't imagine my mom getting the phone call saying I was in an accident." This is how the scene would have played out: My mom would receive a phone call thinking it was me saying I stopped for gas or something, but instead it would have been maybe an EMT or policeman informing her that her youngest daughter had been in a car accident and that she should report to the hospital immediately. Knowing my parents, they'd try to keep it from my sister to avoid her becoming frantic while at work, but that would have happened.
My second thought was, "My best friend who went to Virginia for the night will never forgive herself." It's a scary thing. I know her and I know she would forever blame herself for any possible injury being that the one night I chose to drive home, she went away. How terrible is that? Going away for the night to celebrate and coming home to find out that just because you went, your best friend had to drive and then this happened.
The last thing and I think the most important thing I thought was "Life is way too short to be this upset." I write about life often and how precious it is, but I don't think I can ever stress it enough. In a split second, things can go wrong. Whether you made a bad choice, fell in love with the wrong person or even made the wrong turn, a fleeting moment can turn into a permanent result. There are so many things in life we are caught up with.
Speaking on behalf of my generation, it may be over how many Instagram followers we have or when the next time we'll see our friends. In my case, it's over college and what the future holds. But, it's sad that our world has pushed the important things in life to the side. Before there was Instagram and phones and such expensive bills, there was peace and leisure time and people enjoying all that nature has to offer.
Life is so short, and we can so easily get caught up in the little things that we miss the bigger things that make life worth living. Not everyone has the same "things" that make life worth living, but hey. Why not go find them?
