It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The sun was peaking over the clouds, shining my three favorite colors : pink, yellow, and orange. I stopped at the end of the road so that I could find my Katy Perry CD in my disk holder. I knew exactly how I needed to start this three hour road trip, which was blasting "Teenage Dream". This particular song always reminds me of my best friend, Callie-Marie Crigger, and my car. When we would go anywhere during my senior year, this song would be at the very top of our "must hear" playlist. Once this song began playing, we would both throw our arms out of the windows, repeatedly making hearts with our hands. This time was no different except I was missing my best friend.
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| There is never a dull moment when we are together..."like, ever". Yes, I just pulled a Taylor Swift. |
As the music began flowing, I pressed Tuscaloosa on my GPS and took a left turn. Usually, the Australian speaking man in my Garmin asks me to turn right, but for some weird reason, he politely asked me to turn left. I am always up for an adventure, so, I proudly accepted his request.
After only a minute of driving this new direction, the sweet man asked me to take a right on a very country road. I am particularly fond of these types of roads, because they always seem to remind me of my childhood. Farms, pecan collecting, and endless acres of land. This particular road had more twists and turns than the usual country-esque roads I had taken prior to this moment, making Maxi overly excited.
A few weeks before, I had her four legs (tires) aligned and her oil changed by the Nissan dealership that was close to my apartment. That very next day, my tire actually popped because they had done such a miserable job. Maxi is now doing much better, but she still happens to veer to the right whenever she has the opportunity. On this particular country road, she had many opportunities.
Suddenly, the song "Last Friday Night" began blasting through my speakers, startling me a little bit. I lost focus from the road long enough to nearly change my life forever. Before crossing over a small bridge, there was a gap between the actual road and the bridge, that Maxi's tire found. This flaw allowed her to drastically veer to the right...nearly making me drive completely off the bridge and into the groggy waters below. Instead of slamming on my breaks, I tried yanking my car left, back on to the road; to me, pressing the breaks would've had the same ending result as if I hadn't...and I didn't like the mental image I was seeing. Maxi sure didn't like the decision I had made, though, because for a few seconds, she and I were teetering on two wheels. Once she found her way, we began swerving on the road, leaving a black snake-like trail in the rear view mirror. The only thought that was rushing through my head was, "please, God, don't let my poor puppy get hurt." I finally re-gained control over my rebellious car, allowing me to completely stop and grab on to Maggie. I looked out of my window at the black marks I had left on the road...remembering that I was in the middle of no where, and if I had been laying on the ground bleeding from every opening in my head, no one would hear me cry, or even know that something had happened to me. I am a female, which means I start picturing all of the "what if's" before remembering that everything is actually okay. I then gently placed Maggie in the backseat, because like a mother, I didn't want my child to see me cry.
At that moment, I was reminded how precious this life really is. I am so thankful for the wonderful people who take part in my life, dusting me off when it's not so perfect, and walking by my side when it actually is...and I am not going to wait around anymore for those who don't have the time for me, period. At 4:06, Sunday afternoon, I sat in my shiny, silver car, and I saw every single person I that love simply flash before my eyes...but I was given a second chance, thanks be to God.
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| She is still looking beautiful as ever...gosh, shes so lucky. She becomes prettier with age, and me? I keep finding more wrinkles. |
Tonight, I made it to my self defense class, without any life-changing experiences, and listened to my teacher talk about guns and people being killed by them. At the end of his long speech, he said "you may lose your life", almost as if your life was a pearl earring that didn't have a match, or your favorite wedge heal that didn't have his "left" partner. "Lost" your life...like if it was found, everything would be back to normal again. After hearing this sentence, I thought about my Sunday drive. To him, I almost "lost" my life, but to me, I almost lost everything I ever loved.
I love you all deeply. Always wear your seat belts, and never listen to your Garmin...no matter how dreamy his voice sounds! Good luck on any tests you have this week. In the voice of Rob Schneider from The Waterboy, "you can do it!"
"I'm sorry for the way,
I've been living my life.
I know I've got to change,
So from now on tonight."
Jesus, Take the Wheel - Carrie Underwood
(You're welcome, Anna)
Love always (and forever),
Haley
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