Benjamin Miller
English Composition1
A Shift in Gratitude
As human beings I think we all share a lack of appreciation at some point for the people in our lives and the things we do every day. I personally find it quite difficult to stay within a constant state of gratitude and I think many others could say the same… I’m not referencing significant opportunities, accomplishments, or gifts. But the small things that go unnoticed everyday purely because we always have access to them. Things as simple as having dinner with family and friends, the ability to exercise and spend time in the sun, even doing chores around the house. These are just a few simple examples of small things to be grateful for, but the list can go on if one is focused on the good. Growing up my parents always told me to count my blessings before going to sleep, which I did. But it wasn’t until Friday September 2, 2022, that I realized the power of gratitude.
It was a normal Friday afternoon in September, much like many others that I had witnessed. My younger brother was watching a varsity football game and my parents along with my little sister were headed to Ruidoso for the weekend. My parents grew up there, so these trips weren’t anything far from the norm. It's a quiet town with beautiful pine trees, rivers, and mountains. School had been in session for about a month, and I was missing summer already. If I had the opportunity I would have been in the same car as my family. But I wasn’t, I was stuck at home with work on Saturday and a pile of homework to make it through. I was quite accustomed to homework, but not work on a Saturday. Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to my monotonous weekend. As I was working through my assignments, I got hungry and decided that I would go to the store and grab some steaks to grill. I figured since my Friday was already far from amusing the least, I could do was enlighten it with some good steak. At this time, it was around 7:30 PM and my parents had already been gone for about an hour and a
half. As I headed out the door I grabbed my keys, wallet, and phone then turned on my car and headed to the Albertsons near my house.
I exited my neighborhood, and I accelerated while merging onto the highway. It’s not the ideal merge since it's a two-lane road. Everybody tends to go a little over the speed limit, I think mainly because it’s a highway that quickly becomes part of a residential zone in which the speed limit decreases. In that sense it can be somewhat dangerous, but I had driven that road many times before, so I was used to it. After merging my speed was around 55 mph as I intended to coast through the stop lights then take a right arriving at Albertsons. I had already passed two lights and was now approaching the third with my car in the far-left lane. As I entered the solid white lines, the light turned yellow. I then pressed the gas to accelerate through the light before it turned red. As I was amidst the acceleration, a gold sedan that intended to turn left through the light darted out right in front of me. The moment I saw the driver pull directly in front of my, my heart dropped.
The opposing vehicle was now nearly close enough to make out minor details such as the color of shirt the driver was wearing or the interior design of the car. These details meant nothing to me as I was solely focused on avoiding the accident. From this moment on, everything seemed to move in slow motion. I pictured the sun glaring off of his windshield as I was faced with a split-second decision. To the right of my vehicle was one open lane and a small dirt valley outside of the road which was past the traffic light. To the left was oncoming traffic and a median. I swerved to the right and tried to beat him through the light as I was hoping that he would stop and give me the opportunity to pass through. He had the same split second decision as me as he tried to beat me through the light as well. As I was still accelerating, the speed of my vehicle was around 65 mph and the speed of his around 30 mph. Our vehicles accelerated closer and closer, and it became obvious to me that he was going to hit the front left side of my car.
As all of this is unfolding in front of me, thoughts are racing through my mind. I wasn’t sure that I would be alive for much longer considering the velocity of both vehicles. Memories of my friends and family were vivid, almost as if I could reach out and touch them. I was almost sure that I wouldn’t be able to talk to them again. I was faced with a reality that I had no control over. I felt both vehicles make solid contact. My front window shattered, and my car went flying to the right in a full circle which was then met violently by the curb. The curb along with the momentum of my car sent my vehicle airborne. From this point on everything was a blur. As my car was rolling, I got glimpses of the sun, and then dirt. I rolled about seventy yards from the initial impact then my car reached a stop in dirt. I grabbed my phone and pulled myself out of the driver's window. I was in complete disbelief that I was still walking.
The EMT’s had me call my parents and they said they were turning around to head back home. I was then sent to the ER which I thought was a little excessive since I only had scrapes from the glass. But after a few hours they released me, and I was able to head home. I was in disbelief that I was in my own room and able to talk to my family. It was a relief, but at the same time I realized how much life I took for granted. I spent the rest of that week talking to my family and absorbing everything around me. I think it’s funny now, but at the time I was so happy to be able to see the tumbleweeds across from my house. That feeling of being completely grateful for everything in my life lasted a few days, as the accident was still vivid in my memory. But as time went by life went back to normal. The memories of the crash no longer consumed my thoughts and weren’t there to constantly remind me how lucky I am to be able to experience more life. Although this was an extreme event in which some would say is horrible, I think it’s actually a blessing. It’s been a little more than a year since the accident and I still find myself not being as grateful as I should be. Now, I have a memory to reflect upon that puts my repetitious obligations into perspective. I think it's human nature to get caught up in life, but it’s also important to reflect and appreciate the small things once and a while.