Seven months ago, I got into a severe car accident that seemed like it should have ended my life, but I walked out with merely a scratch from the glass on my left index finger. I couldn’t believe that it happened, much less that I was barely harmed. I spent six hours in the hospital crying and cracking sadistic jokes to myself in a continuous cycle until I finally got to leave at 2 A.M.
That night, I realized just how short and precious life is. I was 21, worked full-time at a job I hated, and lived in a town I had no interest in. My boyfriend lived over 600 miles away and I still hadn’t finished my Bachelor’s degree. If I had died that afternoon, I would have never had the opportunity to really live, achieve my goals, or live my dreams.
My boyfriend was coming to visit the next day, ironically enough, and we had planned to drive two hours north for a concert he got me tickets for months ago. He is a native New Yorker, so he has never learned how to (nor needed to) drive. I was traumatized to drive again and my car was totaled, but my mother encouraged me to get behind the wheel by myself to pick him up at the airport and get a rental car for the trip. I reluctantly took her advice at the time, but am now forever grateful for it – mother truly does know best.
I was so inspired by the faith she has in me; making me realize that bad things can happen to anyone at any time, and how it is crucial to make the best of it and move on. My mother believed I could overcome not just this, but anything I sought in life. I had a wonderful trip with my boyfriend, and once I returned and life resumed it’s dull cycle, I worked hard to accomplish what I really wanted out of life – all the things I wouldn’t have been able to do if my life had ended that Wednesday afternoon.
After a stressful search, my mother helped my boyfriend and I find the perfect apartment so we could move in together. I had applied and gotten accepted into a great university in New York, which meant I would finally be able to continue my studies (and take the long distance out of my relationship). She was my moral support through all of it, truly showing me that I can always count on her, no matter the circumstance. My mother helped pack up the moving truck and drove it the entire way. She helped put together furniture and arrange it all to make my new place a home. When it was time for her to go back home, I cried harder than I ever had in my life. I was finally getting to live my own life, but it was bittersweet to leave the nest.
We talk every day and Skype a few times a week, but I still miss my bestfriend so much.
Author: Melissa clouse
Email: [email protected]
Author Bio: Melissa is a book lover, coffee addict, cat owner, and aspiring writer. She currently resides in Queens, New York.
Link to social media or website: https://www.instagram.com/melissaclouse/
