It was November 12th, 1998, and it was an unseasonably cold, fall day in Racine. Nothing led me to believe it would be anything other than a normal day, except for the fact that it happened to be my friend’s birthday.

I was on my way to the store to finish up some last minute shopping in preparation for a small surprise party that we would be having later for my friend. I had to make one more stop, and then I would be heading home to get ready for cake and ice cream with my friends. By the looks of things, there were not many people out, and there were very few cars moving around town. Other than the cars parked along the sides of the road, it was as if I had the road to myself. I had been driving for a little over a year,

been wearing my seatbelt. Without it, I would have surely been launched through the shattered windshield upon impact. As it was, I had only slightly hit my head on the steering wheel, bruised my knees from the dash board, and bruised my shoulder from the belt strap.

Things began to settle down a bit, and I could hear footsteps over the steady hum of my horn, which was still going off, as people approached to see if anyone was badly hurt. I took a few seconds to gather myself, and I realized that other than soreness and some bruises, I was otherwise fine. After checking on the occupants of the other car, I started looking for a way to call the police. Not even a block away was a pay phone on the corner. After finding out that nobody had already done so, I walked over to the phone to report the accident. After what seemed like hours, the police finally arrived and began taking statements. Tow trucks were called to clear away the wreckage since neither vehicle was going anywhere on its own.

If you have never been involved in or near a car collision, believe me when I tell you that it is an awful combination of sounds to hear. Squealing tires and blowing horns are followed by a bone-jarring jolt as the metal of our cars bent and tore under the stress of the impact. Glass and plastic shatter to tiny pieces as windows, windshields, and headlights fracture from the pressure and warping. Those sounds assaulted my senses as I hoped, and prayed, that somehow I would make it through this disaster alive. Finally, my jeep came to a complete stop, and I was flung violently backward.

and I had taken these same roads countless numbers of times without any problems. I was about to find out, though, that this time would be different.

Some topics in this essay:
, front jeep, life slow, drive home, taking granted, soon realized, gift life,