#002 The world rushes by

[About this story: my first car accident - people rush by without offering assistance and I wonder if this could really be happening. A two minute read.]

A crunching metallic sound shunted me sideways. Scraping metal, ripping plastic, shattering glass. Sound was my only sense functioning in that moment of inattention. Instinct veered my car off the highway into the service station drive-way and steered onto the footpath, coming to a surprisingly smooth stop. It was only then that I noticed the truck pull into the curb further down the road.

I sat behind the steering wheel, too shocked to move, too frightened to feel. A motorised scooter slowly negotiated the narrow gap between the undamaged side of my car and a concrete curb. The driver didn’t look at me slumped in my seat. He hurried on.

A young woman drove through the debris on the drive-way, and got out to fuel her car just a few metres away. Her eyes met mine briefly. Did she notice my tears? She hurried on.

Did anybody wonder why a damaged car, with a driver, was parked on the footpath?

My body felt weak, I couldn’t get out to survey the damage. The truck driver arrived, genuinely concerned for my well-being. “Yes, I think I’m okay. No, I won’t need an ambulance. Yes, I do have family to call. No, I don’t need coffee. Thank you.” I responded to his questions. His warm-hearted attention and gentle nature was a comfort in a world that was rushing by. He wandered off to check out his truck and make the necessary phone calls after he was satisfied that I was physically uninjured.

I sat in my car on the footpath, alone, for ten minutes. Motorists slowed down as they drove through the mess on the roadside, some stopped for fuel, and the rest motored on. The whole world rushed by. I considered the possibility of being trapped in a dream. My apparent invisibility seemed too unreal for the situation to be real.

A man knocked on the windscreen, and opened the door. He squatted beside me, and touched my hand. His hand was warm, his voice was kindly. His humanness touched my soul and a fresh trickle of tears dripped from my cheeks. He stayed with me until my daughter arrived. I can’t recall his face, and I don’t know his name, but I will always remember the warmth of his hand and the light in his heart.

My daughter dropped her children off at school, and came to my aid. She hugged me and I finally felt safe. The police and fieries turned up and did their respective jobs. I apologised to the truck driver, and he hugged me warmly. My daughter took me home. My car was taken away.

That was yesterday. Today I am alone with my thoughts. The voice in my head shouts at me, admonishes me. I tell it to shut up, but I am practised enough to be aware that it’s impossible to win an argument with the repetitive, know-all chatter in my head when I am emotionally compromised. The commentary goes on and on, cursing and blaming.

I settle myself comfortably in the late winter sun, calming the inner storm. I am human, and I make mistakes. The Universe gives me struggles that contain lessons vital to my growth. I raise my head and speak to the sky: “I am grateful for my life lessons, thank you.”

Ahh, the sunshine is warm and comforting.

Do not ignore the lessons in

your struggles and suffering,

PAIN can be your greatest TEACHER