January 14, 2015 was the worst day of my life. I was trying to make a left turn on a dangerous intersection where I kept slowly inching up. I was in the middle of this intersection when the light turned, and I needed to go. Unfortunately, another car was racing to make the light, and we slammed into each other. I totaled my first car.
We all like to think that we are invincible, and that bad things will never happen to us. That horrible day changed my life because it not only taught me that us humans are not indestructible, but it proved to me that I have angels looking over me. My seat belt and airbag saved my life, and I was able to go home that night with a couple of minor bruises. The other person, a young driver like myself, was also fine. While I was physically stable, mentally I was anything but that.
The next few days I could barely get out of bed because I was so depressed. I kept beating myself up, making up "what if" situations in my head. What if I didn't go out that night? What if I had taken a different route? What if I left my house five minutes later? These questions still haunt me today, although not as frequently or as intense as they did.
A few weeks before my accident, I found this "Pay It Forward" card on my school's campus. Ironically, my friend had taken this photograph of me and posted it just days before the accident. I had kept this card on the dashboard of my car, and it was there the day of my accident.
ReesSpecht Life is a foundation which seeks to honor the memory of a child who was taken off this earth way too soon. This foundation encourages people to pass on random acts of kindness and respect to others.
I truly believe that the spirit of this young child was watching down on me and made sure that all parties involved in the crash were OK. I am a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason, even though we may not know what the reason is.
I make it a mission to spread kindness every day -- whether it is at work, in class, with my family, or on the street. I am not religious, but I do believe that while God has a plan for all of us ultimately, we have the agency and free will to choose our actions.
I still have this card on the dashboard of my second car.
