30 Day Challenge - Day 21

30 Day Challenge - Day 21

A picture of something you wish you could forget.

 This is a picture of my completely mangled car after an accident I had when I was 16.

I truly believe that all the bad stuff we experience helps to shape us into the people that we're supposed to be, so while I wouldn't take anything back from my life... there are some parts I wish were a little more blurry. And this is one of those.

I was 16, a sophomore, and had only had my license for a few months. My best friend Allison and I had decided to go shopping that day out in Cary, venturing out to the closest Old Navy near Raleigh. We were on our way back home, and Allison was helping me to navigate back to the highway. In a blur of misunderstood directions and bad judgement, I turned left and was almost immediately struck by an oncoming car.

What I remember is a sense of panic, a gasp... and then I blacked out while my car was pushed almost 20 feet. I woke up with Allison's head on my shoulder and someone running towards my car- i remember screaming hysterically for them to leave me alone and to help my friend because she wasn't waking up. I remember watching them cutting her out of the car, as I walked around the scene, not realizing that my flip flops had been thrown off and I was walking on broken glass. I remember us going to the hospital. I remember seeing Allison's parents and being so scared they were going to be mad at me and feeling guilty when they gave me a hug instead.

With some divine intervention Allison survived the accident, but with a multitude of pretty serious injuries. She went to governor's school in a wheelchair and on crutches. I had to have the surgery that left the pin in my finger left a cast on my arm for the summer. I had a lot of guilt for a really long time about almost killing myself, my best friend and the people in the other car.

To this day, I'll never claim to be a good driver, because I'm not. I sometimes get really nervous driving other people around, especially my little brother and sister. And I still get really, really anxious when I don't know where I'm going or I get lost. To the point where I avoid volunteering to drive anywhere. 

So yes, I'd choose to forget that. 

Drive safe, everybody.