Life has been so crazy lately. It seems like I have been going 100 miles an hour just trying to make it through this semester. Just trying to make it through my days so I can go home for break. Just trying to make it through the year so I can student teach. Just making it through college so I can graduate. Just making it through graduation so I can get married. I was just going through each day, taking everything for granted along the way without thinking about it. I have been so focussed on the future that I haven't been enjoying each individual day. My MG rears its head on certain days so I try even harder to get through those days quickly. Until...
Sunday November 16th. Yesterday. I got into a car accident. I was on Highway 61, coming home from meeting my beautiful God daughter, LilyAnna Jo. I was cruising along when all of a sudden my back door started to come open. I quickly pulled off onto a side road that had not been salted. I closed my door, got back into the car and was going to get back on to 61. There was a hill that I needed to get up but my tires were spinning. I gave it a little more gas and went flying over the hill. At the bottom of the hill was a sharp corner and straight ahead was a guardrail. I hit the guardrail going about 35. I spun on the ice. As I was heading straight for it I thought I was going over the ledge. It was a makeshift guardrail with wooden posts and a metal cable. In my mind I was thinking "there is no way this is going to stop me." As I was barreling down the hill towards the guardrail, knowing I was going to hit it, I closed my eyes. I closed my eyes because I thought I was going to either flip my car or go through the railing. I closed my eyes and saw my entire life flash in about five seconds. When I stopped, I hit my head very hard on the window. The sound it made when it hit the glass I will never forget. I got out of my car to see that I was about an inch from going over. The guardrail was broken. I was shaking uncontrollably. I couldn't believe I had made it through that and didn't go over. According to physics and the way I was going, I should have smashed through that cable. I snapped it, but it stopped me. God stopped me. If I would have gone down, no one would have seen me down there as it wasn't on a main road.
As I was laying in bed last night I couldn't help but think, this morning when I said "I love you," to my mom, to my sister, and to Nathan, it could have been the last time. Life can change in a moment. Looking back, God was the reason I did not go over. He wasn't ready for me yet. He knew I couldn't afford a new car and I still have a purpose here on this earth. That is why I stopped. It was his way of saying, "Alyssa, slow down. Enjoy each day, every moment, live in the present." God has plans for my future and I realized that I was focussing so far out in time that I wasn't living in the moment. I was just getting through my days and fighting with MG along the way.
I had never been more relieved to hear my moms voice when I called her. She came down to Winona and my friends took me to the ER. I have a concussion and whiplash along with soreness everywhere but I also have my life. I have no broken bones. I don't have a broken neck and I do not have any stitches. It could have been so much worse. I have a headache, but again, I have my life. A life that I love, and a life that I will live. One day at a time. I will slow down, I will enjoy every moment, I will be thankful for the small things, I will tell others I love them, I will be the best that I can be and I will take my time in the tasks that I am given to complete. We are all given a length of time that we are meant to be here on this earth. My time wasn't up yet and I was going too fast. Too fast through life and too fast through the motions. I am thankful for so many things.
Thank you to the Blahniks for taking care of me, for Katie and Siham for coming to get me, to my loving family, to Nathan and his family, and to everyone who has been praying.
Life happens fast and can change in the blink of an eye. Slow down. Enjoy it. Take nothing for granted, live in the moment. Tomorrow will come but today is the only chance that you have to live for today. It may be your last "today". Thank God for each and every "today" and enjoy all that you're given. Slow down. Enjoy the ride.
