Headlights
I think I wrote this post back in 2014 or 2015--and I still remember this event pretty clearly. It was one of those pivotal points that totally changed my perspective on life.
Peace. Love. Happiness.
-TR
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A couple months ago, my boyfriend, 2 of my friends, and I were on our way to get some coney dogs. (For those who don't know, the coney dog is native to the wonderful state of Michigan--basically, it's a hot dog with chili, onions, and mustard--sans mustard for me though!) One of my friends had recently arrived from the Philippines (he had been there for college) a couple months prior and the other one was on vacation visiting from the Philippines. We were having a good time chatting and catching up during the drive. I was driving on the freeway and noticed that the car in front of me swerved. Next thing I know, there are headlights shining brightly directly in my line of vision. The lights were getting closer and closer. There were no hazard lights blinking. There was no horn sending out a warning. There was no sign of the vehicle trying to stop or get out of the way. As time is making its way through the hour glass, my fight or flight instincts kick in. Somehow, someway I fought to fly. I grasped the steering wheel and made a hard swerve to the right and then another swerve to the left to straighten out into the next lane. Luckily there were no cars directly to the side of me and there was a lot of distance between the next car behind me. I successfully avoided what could have been a horrible accident. My boyfriend was in the front seat. My two friends in the backseat...I found out after the swerving that they were not wearing their seat belts. It slipped my mind to remind them earlier because my brain is programmed to put my seat belt on once I get in the vehicle. In the Philippines, seat belts aren't worn by A LOT of people. Some vehicles may not even have them. They quickly put their seat belts on after the incident. We made it safely to the restaurant and got our coney dogs. The three of them were doing most of the talking, while I sat there staring into space still in disbelief of what had just happened out on the road and thinking of what could have happened. After we were done eating, we got back in the car, made sure everyone was belted, and then went back home. After my friends left, I sat on the couch with my boyfriend...and started crying. Crying because I was scared. Crying because I was thankful. Crying because I had many emotions and thoughts going through my mind.
During this time, I was going through a stressful time at work because I had just started in a new department. Work was challenging and I had to continuously remind myself to be patient. I felt like I wasn't doing enough, even though my co-workers told me all the time that I was actually doing a good job. I just put a lot of pressure on myself--I think I always have. However, after that night of swerving, things changed. I gained a new perspective. While work is important and I do my best at it, I realized that there are more important things in life--such as the people in it. The stressful feelings that I had due to work seemed to melt away because I felt (and still do) lucky to be alive and unscathed. Who knows what could've happened if I didn't swerve as much as I did or when I did. I spent a lot of time thinking about the what ifs. But my boyfriend pointed out an important fact for me to concentrate on--and that fact is that all the people who were in that car that night were not hurt. I can really only thank God for that one. #Jesustakethewheel.
Tonight on my way home, I saw bright headlights yet again. Someone was going the wrong way on a one way. This time, however, I wasn't on the freeway so the speed of the car was much slower and the person flashed the car's lights to ensure that I saw the car so that I could switch lanes. The headlights reminded me of that night of getting coney dogs. They reminded me of how lucky and blessed I am to be where I am today. They reminded me of how thankful I am to God for giving me the people He has placed in my life. They reminded me of how much I love my family and friends. They reminded me of how grateful I am to have my boyfriend by my side.
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