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Venti Starbucks coffee = $2.41, Cracked iPhone = $400.00, Totaled Mazda 6 = $27,425.00, Walking away from the accident and not a single scratch = PRICELESS!
It
was December 5, 2010 and the final payment came out for my car. It was my
first brand new car I had purchased and paid off myself. What a sigh of
relief and I told my mother. She congratulated me and said “enjoy, you
maintain it very well and it will go another 170k miles.”
I
loved that car.
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After
the snow storm of December 2010, it was a Sunday night and met the boy at
Starbucks. The ride up 168 South was horrific as they did not plow so on
the way home I decided to take the AC Expressway as that surely had to be
clear.
It
was clear all right, so clear I didn’t see the black ice patch I hit that sent
my Mazda in a whirlwind of crazy moves before it flipped into the gully on the
side of the road. I sat there thinking “Ooops!” as my cell phone was
cracked and dangling in my face from the console charger, I presumed I was
flipped upside down at that point. I grabbed the phone and was able to
navigate the home screen to call my mother; I told her I had a little fender
bender. She was like “Oh no, where are you?” I replied, “Oh you
know just sitting here on the AC Expressway in a gully upside down.” She
was not amused, but gathered my father and they were on their way. Three
men pulled over to help me and I remember hearing them, one yelled “I have an
axe in my truck so I am going to see if I can smash the back window and we can
try to get to the person out.” I remember yelling “Oh no don’t break my
window, I am ok – just don’t break my window.”
Then
the thought occurred to me that maybe breaking the back window would not make a
difference as I sat there in a pile of snow with a shattered windshield and
being flipped upside down perhaps put a few dents in my car.
The
men were able to break the back window and pull me out. Next thing I
remember is the police, ambulance, fire trucks and my parents showing up.
Police officer said to me “license and registration.” I looked at him
ready to roll my eyes, but kindly replied, “The registration is in the glove
compartment and is locked and license is in my handbag.” He was not
amused as he had to trek to the car and try and find everything. He came
back a half hour later with my handbag and registration, I opened my handbag
and was like “Oh yeah I forgot, my license is in the center console of the
car.” He said to me, “Are you serious” as he scurried back to the car to
find.
Everything
became settled, police officer declared this a no fault accident due to natural
causes and my car was towed away.
Next
day my mother spoke with the insurance company and adjuster and said they would
send the car to Rocco’s Collision to have it repaired. I was very happy
as I thought my orange ‘punkin’ was totaled. I went to the tow place to
sign the paperwork to have it sent to Rocco’s and when I saw my car I said to
the guy “Oh wow, I can’t believe that is fixable.” He burst out laughing
as he said “Honey the only people who have seen this car is you and me – this
will ultimately be sent to the junk yard.” As it turns out he was right.
My mother and I went to Rocco’s and gather my stuff out of the car and as we
left my mother saw a tear stream down my face and she said “go back around, get
out and say good bye again, I’ll wait in the car.” I did just that and
also stole a floor mat as a keepsake.
I
share this story as a lesson as you never know when life will flip upside down,
literally. I was very lucky to walk away with not even a scratch, just a
few aches and pains the following days, but all fixable. However, it
seems we take so much for granted these days that we miss out on enjoying the
present for what it is. I could have easily been sent to the graveyard in
a matter of a split second, but instead my car was sent to the junk yard.
It also, goes to prove that material items are just that. They are nice
to have, but not worth needing or stressing over; while I loved that car, I am
still alive without it. The real items worth needing are the good times
and laughs with family and friends as well as the heart to heart chats that
make everything all better. So just enjoy and do something in the
‘NOW.’
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