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Friday, May 14, 2010

Second Chance Anniversary

Hello Loves,

Just a quick note before I go to bed....................

So today is the 10 year anniversary of my second chance at life. It was this day ten years ago that I got into a serious car accident and my friend and I walked away without a scratch. Basically, I was teaboned at a traffic light, and my car spun out into the intersection. I still remember the feeling of spinning out of control. It was totaled, and had it hit my car just a couple of inches towards me, I could have easily been in a hospital or killed. For sure I could have easily had a life full of aches and pain ahead of me.

My friend that was with me was my college roommate and best friend. She is having a baby soon. Our lives have gone in separate directions, but we still talk and visit at least once a year. We really don't talk about that accident.

I think about that accident a lot. No one got hurt, and I feel like I got a free pass in life. Anything can happen, and I hope that I live an injury-free life. But I can say that I didn't take these ten extra years that I've been given for granted.

If you are healthy and can walk, be appreciative of that and take advantage of what you do have. How sad would that have been had I gotten seriously injured without getting the chance to be appreciative of my blessings in life ? I would've never known what it is like to feel thankful.

I have been real busy lately and haven't posted much. But I will be making my rounds on your blogs. I have not forgotten.

27 comments:

mac said...

I was in a serious wreck 10 years ago too.
I wasn't as lucky as you.
some joker pulled out in front of me, at 50 mph, it was scary as Hell . I broke four ribs and my sternum. I was taken to a local hospital and given 5,000 (seemingly) X-rays. My chest was opening with each breath so they decided to fly me 80 miles to the University Cardiac unit in the city.

They didn't do much, except observe me closely so no arteries were pinched by shifting chest plates (yuck).
I slept in a chair for five weeks...

That was when I got back into Martial Arts, to regain my core strength I lost in the recovery. I am fine now :-)
The only lingering effect I have is a dead spot on the skin about 2 inches above my right nipple (nice that it's not lower!)

I'm really glad you made it out fine!

mac said...

Dead may be the wrong word....it's perpetually numb ;-)

The Girl With The Mousy Hair said...

Sometimes there are moments in life that make you sit up and grab life by the handles.
I try to remember to be thankful,thanks for reminding me.

JStar said...

Things happen in life to remind us to be grateful...In the times of sadness, not thinking we can go on are the times to reflect upon this!

I was in a serious car accident and my 10 year anniversary just passed in March...I fractured my back and the ONLY reason I am not paralyzed is because I have an extra vertabre thats abnormal to have, that I didnt know I had til this accident. Everyday I live with the aches and pain and they are a constant reminder of what coulda been...My girls having to grow up in their most critical years without me...

Anonymous said...

It's amazing how accidents make you grateful to be alive. It makes you even more appreciative. I also tend to be more disgusted with people who feel like life owes them everything.

4 years ago this coming July, I was trampled by a 1,200lb horse I was training. I had both of my hips and my stomach stepped on, and I was kicked in the head. It was luckily one of the few times I was wearing a helmet. A friend's boyfriend rushed me to the hospital, because the farm I was working on, was on top of a mountain, and it probably would have taken a while for an ambulance to get up there [plus you needed to be buzzed in, since it was a private estate].

They did a scan to check for internal bleeding. By some miracle, I had no bruises or marks anywhere. BUT I have a really bad lower back, that gives me problems off-and-on, and my right hip will occasionally lock up on me if I sit on the floor too long. It's a pain, but I deal. And I'm forever thankful that things didn't turn out worse than it did.

Anonymous said...

Glad you are still with us. I have had some that I should have been put in a body bag before, but instead walked away. Scary stuff.

Danielle said...

Good for you for not taking anything for granted. We all need a reminder sometimes.
Glad you are with us!

HMCinCali said...

this is a really sad post...

I am so glad that you made it out okay and are here today. You bring joy and friendship to my life!

A few comments on the comments because I actually felt like crying.

mac - that is soo scary!! Totally serious injuries. You are a very strong man.

JStar - that is so sad, I'm sorry.

MsJenni - lower back pain is horrible I know I suffer from it occassionally - yoga helps somewhat. Accupunature helps too. Do you still ride? I don't after my horse accident, maybe if the opportunity arises, but I don't go out of my way. I grew up around horses and just feel that enough is enough, enough being trampled, smushed, bucked off,...

Bev said...

I'm glad you are okay, and that the accident left you with a finer appreciation of your blessings!

I've had several near-misses - car accidents, cancer, fires... there have been many times that I could have died, but didn't. Like you, I am grateful for the gift of life and for all of the physical attributes that I still enjoy.

dadshouse said...

Great message. Glad you are here among us. A friend of mine in college survived an near-death experience, and she was one of the happiest and most grateful person I've ever met. She really lived in the moment - in the now.

Red Shoes said...

Hmmm... what a great realization, Senorita... Some people have received multiple chances at Life and aren't aware of it... or fail to take advantage of it... you have done both!

It does make our Present time that much more meaningful to us... :o)

~shoes~

Unknown said...

thank goodness no one was hurt...

Cathy said...

I'm happy for you. What sad about this scenario however, is how impossible it is to realistically live one's life thinking of how easily one could lose it. That's just being human. Hence, every now and again someone who came close, like yourself, imparts their wisdom of "Man I just made it!" to us, and we feel guilty for not being more appreciative of our own second chances. Truth. It's like faith: you don't care about having it until you're forced to - as in a car accident?

KrippledWarrior said...

May God bless and keep you always. May your wishes all come true. May you always do for others. And let others do for you. May you build a ladder to the stars. And climb on every rung. May you stay...
forever young.

Frequent Traveler said...

Dear Senorita,
Will you do a 'man-slation' on this for me? It's my former trainer at the gym. He's 42 and divorced. This is Tony's ad on yahoo personals.

"I'm a fitness professional and entrepreneur who is extremely dedicated to his profession and business. When I'm not engrossed with my business, I'm usually engrossed with my kids -- they are my lifeline and number one priority. But I do enjoy spending time with a quality woman who shares similar interests and lifestyle when I have some downtime. That sounds bad, but the reality is, I'm extremely busy. I run a business 50-60 hours a week and I have 50% custody of my 2 daughters. I would be best with a similarly busy woman who is independent, and not in need of my constant attention.

I'm a very aesthetic and visual person. I am drawn to a woman initially by her looks and body. I'm very picky about looks and body, call it superficial, but that's just the way it is. Blame it on my profession. That's the first hurdle with me. If you clear that hurdle, then I can start to look at what's on the inside of you.

From me, you will not just get an aesthetically pleasing individual, but one that is going to keep it real with you. I don't play games or cater to the drama. I will tell you what I think. If I don't tell you what I'm thinking, and you're not sure what I'm thinking, then just ask. I will give you the truth. You may not like what the truth is, but you will nonetheless get it. If there is drama, I will leave, and you will probably never see me again. I do not partake in drama or want it brought into my life. I know how to cater to a woman (in all ways), and I expect the same in return. I value independence in a woman, and if you're looking for a sponsor, I'm not the guy.

That's just keeping it real..."

Big Mark 243 said...

Looking forward to your famous 'man-slation' of the personal that was suggested...

something like that, an event between friends that could go either extraodinarily good or bad and the consequences has been on my mind for most of the year...

When you walk away from something like that, you aren't playing with 'house money'... the money is still yours to play with as you will.

I don't think you need to be any more profound or super grateful that you live a life of service to anything. You only need to live and make the most of the life you have.

If I don't make sense, my apologies. I am glad that you weren't hurt and are around with your journal. Be well.

Fireblossom said...

I'm glad you're ok!

Anonymous said...

Happy 2nd chance anniversary & more of a reason to be THANKFUL & CLOSER TO GOD.Bless you. *hug*

SweetAngelAsh17 said...

I'm glad you and your friend made it out alive. I know my life would be very different without you as my friend.

Speaking of which, I miss you! When shall we hang out again?

Ileana said...

I think I'm losing it...I thought I already commented on this post!

Anyway...I'm happy to hear you made it through that accident without a scratch and you're still with us, belly dancing and enjoying life. :)

Sometimes it's good to kick back and count our blessings. Life is good.

And about being busy, I hear you. Paralegals (especially in this town) do it all...phones, scheduling, pleadings, correspondence, filing with the courts, etc. I barely have time to pee these days!

Jimmy's Journal said...

Well said! There's an old adage, " I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man with no feet."

Count your blessings!

Jimmy

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you're ok! It's absolutely amazing how life works out sometimes, huh?

Candace Rae's Life said...

I'm happy to hear that the day you had your accident didn't turn out in tragedy for you or anyone else. Life is most certainly full of surprises - good and bad.

Thanks for the thoughts about my Mom - she's doing great.

Riot Kitty said...

Heya! I am so sorry, this did not show up on my google feed - I just found out about the post when I saw your newest one.

So glad you are intact and thriving...you definitely seem to get a lot more out of life than most people. Cheers!

PorkStar said...

Oh my i think you did tell me about this, now i remember.

Thankful to have you too my dear, nothing like having a very perverted and indecent best friend like you doing evil and causing raucus for me overthere in the west coast.

Miss you bunches mi amor

muah

Candice said...

I love that you celebrate this anniversary. Many people would just continue on with life and not give it a second thought.

Kudos to you for counting your blessings. I need to become better at that myself.

Paul Nichols said...

I'm sorry I didn't comment here earlier. This is still a significant post. I know what a 'second chance' is. In 1990 I was seriously burned by a kitchen grease fire from my face to my belt. One beautiful thing about it was the nurses (both men and women) who cared for me, cared for me. They were tender, patient and loving. They are special people.

You're special, too.