It was a year ago today, the day that changed everything. It was devastating, it was tragic and it was a check of reality. I was the victim of a hit and run car accident. With a flash before my eyes, I would be diagnosed with a double concussion and it would be another two weeks before I could do something other than sleep in a dark room, or have a conversation I actually remembered. It would be months that I would suffer post-concussion syndrome until I would begin to feel “normal” again.

I don’t remember much of anything from before the accident. My conversation skills took a heavy hit; I have trouble comprehending what is being said to me and saying what I am thinking. I get overwhelmed when I am in loud, crowded areas; sometimes a day out shopping ends in a panic attack and a dreaded feeling. I can’t work out for too long because I become dizzy and faint; I can’t tumble or do gymnastics without throwing up. I can’t drink coffee because it will cause me to black out for a period of time and I function by roaming around unconsciously until the caffeine buzz wears off.

Focusing on all of the negative effects, anyone would feel sorry for me. It was something that could make you question your faith in God; why would such a horrible thing happen to such a good person?

But I do not feel the same way. Every time I am asked about my accident, I simply say that it can be our most devastating moments that are our blessings in disguise; it just depends on how you look at it.

It was as if my whole life had just hit a reset button. I had learned who will actually be there for me in life and who cares about me beyond a “Like” on Facebook. I was able to let go of all of my previous years of pain and bottled up emotions that caused me to go from a happy-go-lucky person to a dark, lost and miserable mass. Not remembering any of the bad memories, I felt as if 50 thousand pounds have been lifted off my shoulders.

I learned that the past should stay in the past. With every “memory” I was retold, it weighed me down; it has gotten to the point where I no longer want to remember. We are sometimes asked: If you could go back and change something, what would it be? While this can be a deep conversation starter, we can’t actually go back to the past. All we can do is move forward, and that is what I learned to focus on.

You may not be able to go back to the past, but where were you a year ago today? Were you at a high? A low? Were you, too, going through a devastating point in time?

What have you done in the past year? Have you accomplished your short term goals? Have you not accomplished anything you had hoped to? Have you not even set goals for yourself to work towards?

Do you like where you are right now since a year ago? Do you feel like you are surely making progress to attaining your idealistic future? Do you feel like you’re lost and roaming?

Wherever you are right now in comparison to a year ago, look back at everything you have done. Whether you scroll through your Facebook, your photos on your phone, or even meeting up with your best friends to catch up, you have done a lot, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

You may be in school, you may have even just graduated from school and are now pursuing your next steps, whether that be college, graduate school, or a job.

You may be working, so that you can live and check off items on your bucket list, such as traveling or skydiving.

You may have found love. Look at how that person has influenced you, have you grown? Have you made unforgettable memories? Have you made a bond that could last a lifetime when you may not have seen it at the beginning?

You may have lost love. How are you managing it? Are you letting it eat away your happiness? Are you learning how much you deserve to love yourself? Are you successfully independent until the right one comes along to treat you right?

Wherever you are right now, take a moment to appreciate your progress in life. Look back on even the hardest moments in your life and search for how it has helped you get to where you are now. See the growth you have endured as a person. Review your goals and continue to work towards them. Don’t let something or someone disrupt you from where you are and where you are headed; let it or them help you get there.

I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, whether it be conversations with strangers, relationships and flings, lucky moments, even devastating events. You don’t necessarily have to be a strong believer in the Man Upstairs, but this faith in some other unexplainable phenomena, that we have a destiny, can make the hardest moments in life feel a lot more secure. Take everything that life throws your way with an open mind because it can be our most devastating moments that are our blessings in disguise.