Allow me to tell you the story of how my first car got totaled. This is perhaps one of the most Alabamian things that has ever happened to me, and it changed my world forever.

I was driving from my friend's house to the first day of my new job, about an hour and 15 minutes away. The roads out of Haleyville, AL wind and dip through Bankhead forest which makes for some pretty treacherous driving. I was making my way through the wooded roads in my 2001 Honda Civic and rounded a corner going downward. On this road, there are many 18-wheelers, one of which was coming towards me, not in his lane but 2/3 of the way into mine going entirely too fast. I thought we might collide so I slammed my breaks. My car spun out immediately and the 18-wheeler kept driving, never to be seen again. I slid backwards off the road, hit a divot in the dirt and my car flipped to face forward. I was diving almost straight down 150 feet into a ravine, watching the trees pass my rapidly accelerating car.

I experienced what people talk about when they say that their life flashed before their eyes. In a moment of facing death, I saw everything in short frames: my parents, siblings, ex-boyfriends, best friends, my childhood self, cities I had lived in, vacations I took, griefs I had experienced, moments I had encountered God. I relived 18 years of life in what felt like a 5-minute free fall but was probably only a few seconds. I remember screaming to God. I don't even know if what came out of my mouth was anything intelligible. I just remember the scariest part being the sound that escaped my lips.

My car finally came to a halt when I hit a tree. The trunk of the tree was about a foot from my face. I was paralyzed by adrenaline, unsure if I had been injured or not. All feelings had left my body. Once I thought about the possibility of the car exploding, I reared my body back and tossed myself out of the driver's side door which had been forced open. I laid in the leaves for some time, waiting for someone from the road to see me. I was too afraid to stand and I didn't have cell service.

Finally, a utility truck spots me. They pull over, and two men climb out of the truck. The one with the mullet and handlebar mustache shouts at me from 100 ft. up and says, "You comin' up 'er what?" I didn't want to argue with a guy who looked like he might chuck me back down that mountain, so with my fingernails, I dug my way back up the side of the ravine (no thanks to the two grown men watching me struggle.) When I make it to the top, the first man says to me, "We got water n' whiskey in the trunk; which n' yew wawnt?" A confused and terrified 18 y/o girl alone in the woods with two strange men, I took the water even though I probably could've used the whiskey at that point.

I wish I could say this story ends with the police coming to help. It doesn't. When a state trooper arrived, I was immediately asked a lot of questions, most of which had nothing to do with my current situation.

"You a college student?"

"No sir, I'm still in high school."

"Oh, I just saw all those stickers on the back of your car and figured you might be in college. You a Muslim?"

I tried my best to reply calmly, "no sir, I'm a Christian. Why?"

"Well, I saw that Arabic sticker and the "I Love Dubai" sticker on the back of your car and I know how those Muslims are. The Koran is dangerous. You know, they teach their boys to rape their sons and that it's okay."

In shock, I do my best to formulate a response that WON'T get me sent to jail. "Sir, I lived in a majority-Islamic country for a year and a half, and that simply isn't the case. Many of my good friends were Muslim and they are docile, loving, contributing members of their communities. I do not share their religious beliefs but I would do anything for them."

Thankfully, he didn't quiz me any further. After the tow truck arrived, broke the tow line by installing it incorrectly, dropped my car back down the mountain and the company tried to charge me $600 for it, my day of horror came to an end. As awful as this memory is for me, it taught me a few things:

- Get your brakes checked regularly.

- Never accept whiskey from a man with a handlebar mustache in a utility vehicle.

- Racism still exists, no matter what anyone tells you. Prove them wrong.

- It is okay to call your parents overseas at 2:30AM their time if someone is about to charge you hundreds of dollars for their mistake. They will understand.

- Life is unbelievably short. It can be even shorter for some. Tell people you love, even if they are hard to love, that you love them.

-Your words can be refreshing like water, or burn like whiskey. Be careful which one you choose.

Each moment is an opportunity to love, to educate, to revolutionize. Hold each one dear and take full advantage of it. I know I do now.