What a Difference a Year Makes

It has been exactly one year to the day since my accident. Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 7:40 in the morning. An accident that could easily have taken my life. How can you forget when you come that close to losing everything in an instant. Impossible. This morning as I drove to work, the same way I always do, I passed the exact area where one year ago, almost to the minute, I was hit broadside by an on-coming car. The weather was almost identical; the road conditions as icy and treacherous as they were last year. The moment I passed that spot, white knuckles clutching the wheel, the memory of it all came flooding back. The impact, the shock, the pain. It is hard to believe that one year has passed since that fateful day. In my mind, it seems like mere weeks ago. I am not known for my excellent memory, but when it comes to that day, the images are clearly etched in my mind. Perhaps there are some residual post-traumatic issues still lingering. I don`t know. But it is interesting to me to see how different my life is today compared to exactly one year ago. At that time, I questioned what lay ahead for me, and wondered if I would ever find normalcy in my life again. There were so many unknowns, so many unanswerable questions.

Today, a year later, was a difficult day for me. I had to write a tough exam for a competition at work. Yesterday, I had to do a presentation - something that is very hard for me to do. It was stressful and it was difficult. What I need to remind myself of though, is how small and insignificant these things are in the scope of things. Only when you come close to losing everything, can you truly appreciate this. There are only a few people in my life that know what I am talking about. Tonight, my husband and I talked about what happened one year ago - how could we not? And how suddenly and drastically things can change when you really least expect it. We remembered being told by the doctors how lucky I was not to have suffered serious neurological consequences. It is impossible for most people to relate to this kind of experience unless they have lived it, or know someone who has. And it`s understandable - how could they? It`s not a typical life experience.

So, as I stress about all the things that need to get done before the holidays, I remind myself of how I missed out on those holidays last year, and how I vowed to myself that next year would be better. Well, this is it. And this year will be better.

It just goes to prove that no matter how bad things appear to be, a positive approach to life will get you through. Lesson learned : what doesn`t destroy you, does indeed make you stronger.