Have you ever been driving along in peace, and then the next thing you know, you're violently crashing into a minibus? Yeah, you know the one: It comes out of nowhere as you're swerving out of the way of four or so cars that stopped out of nowhere, takes off your driver's side mirror, puts a gigantic dent in your fender, and leaves you with a crooked tire.
Right. That bus.
Truthfully, I would have no connection to said bus if it weren't for the occurrence of quite an unfortunate event about a week ago -- one in which I, sadly, became another statistic. Simply put, I -- a young driver, went ahead and accidentally caused my vehicle to make contact with another vehicle which was, if you haven't guessed yet, a freakin' bus. Despite the fact that I had been completely accident-free for about a year and change, I basically took everything that one may expect from a teenager behind the wheel of a car and personified it right in the middle of a busy highway. Go, me, huh?
When this accident took place, I must chalk up at least one point for myself, taking into account that I was not completely thoughtless. In fact, I actually avoided another accident by doing what I did in the matter of a split-second thought process. At the time, it appeared as if someone decided that they wanted some Dunkin' Donuts at the very last second, which would explain the line of cars that suddenly came to a screeching halt on in the middle of the road. By swerving out of their way, I avoided rear ending a bunch of innocent people who had no choice but to stop, but also could've turned myself, my boyfriend, and my car into a pancake. Let's face it: While I totally understand that America Runs on Dunkin', I'd really prefer that my car was up and running and not incapacitated on the indirect account of someone's sudden urge to pick up a donut from the drive through.
After my car had it's fate sealed and was pulled off to the side of the road, it is definitely fair to say that my mouth uttered a few obscenities that I am less than proud of. In fact, if my car was lingual, I'm sure it would have cursed, too, maybe even more than I. This fact alone takes a bit of the edge off my guilt, and allows me to rest assured that my vulgarity wasn't completely unfounded. After all, who wouldn't be just the slightest bit frustrated after hearing the crunch of their beloved car as it makes contact with an object that it was in no way intended to do so?
Upon stepping out of my car, my eyes were almost singed by the horrifying sight that was my decently damaged car. Never had I felt such gut wrenching pain as to see my once perfectly beautiful automobile in shambles. Although the accident was quite shaking and the sight of my car was certainly a tough one to see, it was, in all seriousness, made somewhat better by the kind words of the bus driver and the fact that my boyfriend helped me to stay calm. In the end what really matters is that no one was hurt. Cars can be replaced or fixed, while people cannot be.
Although I am upset about my car, I am thankful that I ended up relatively lucky in regards to what could have happened. I am aware that people die on the road everyday, and I'm glad to have not become another statistic in that regard. So, with that, I say that I am grateful for the lesson, no matter how hard to be learned, that this experience has taught me. I have yet again been exposed to an "it's not the end of the world" type of deal, and ultimately, it is now out of my hands.
If I can't fix it with the snap of my fingers, I might as well laugh about it if I can.
