Tag Archives: wreck

Moving Forward

“By seeking and blundering, we learn.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Well, here it is. *sigh* I knew it was coming. Knew I’d have to face it eventually.

The dreaded winter. The evil snow. The crappy road conditions.

Ugh.

For my readers who have been with me a while, you may remember one particular snow-related blog I wrote earlier this year. To recap, we had one last freak late Winter/early Spring snowstorm that showed up out of nowhere at the beginning of April. And said freak snowstorm just so happened to show up while I was driving home from work. Freak snowstorm + driving home from work in a big, clunky car = bad. Very bad.

I wrecked.

And not only did I wreck, but I flipped my car down a rocky bank and totaled it. But…I’m here to tell you about it, so obviously the outcome was much better than what it had the potential of being. And I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for that.

Now, fast forward a bit. Although I was definitely a little shaky getting behind the wheel for the first time after the accident, the fear soon subsided and my life as a driver sailed on. I got a new (well, new to me) car, one with all-wheel drive, thank you very much, and the accident was all but forgotten.

Well, that is, until today.

Today, we have snowfall #1 for Winter 2013. And where was I? Driving in it. What was supposed to be a 30-minute drive to work ended up being an hour and a half drive to work. (Now, if you know me well, or even if you don’t and you’ve paid attention to things I’ve said in the past, you’ll know that I actually live an hour from where I work. Why did I say a 30-minute drive? I’ll get to that part soon enough. Believe it or not, this will all tie together eventually. How do you like for foreshadowing, huh? Huh? Dude, I’m such a writer…)

Ok, back to the story. So, when I left for work, it was just spitting snow a little and I didn’t think it was going to be that bad. But as I got about a third of the way there, I realized that the further I went, the worse the roads were getting. If there had been a place to safely turn around, I think I would have done it right then and there and went right back home. But, sadly, there wasn’t. So I kept moving forward. By the time I got to the main road, I was over halfway to work, so I figured there would be less driving to just keep heading in the direction I was going. Now, I’ve never been someone who was scared to drive in the snow, mind you. But I’ve also never been someone who was driving in the snow for the first time after a bad snow-related accident either. Needless to say, I was a little shaky. Ok, a LOT shaky.

So, driving along scared to death in the snow with an extra hour of driving time than I had anticipated, my poor little brain had nothing else to do but think. And think and think and think. And since my dumb ole thoughts kept drifting back to the accident, and consequently to the similarities of today’s driving conditions to that day’s, I was doing all I could to redirect those silly thoughts to something else. Anything else. So…I reverted back to the old fail safe. Something my thoughts seem to drift to pretty regularly. Something I tend to overanalyze to death on a regular basis so why would my snowy drive to work today be any exception?

My relationship with Richard.

Richard and I have been talking about taking another step forward in our relationship. And although I’m head over heels, madly in love with him, I’m a wee bit nervous about that. Ok, just kidding…I’m scared out of my friggin mind. See…I don’t have the best track record when it comes to making relationships work out. I know, shocking, isn’t it? I mean, a mild-mannered, shy, quiet little un-opinionated girl like myself? How on Earth would I have trouble getting along in relationships, right? I know, I know. It surprises me too. But alas, as hard as it is to believe, it is the honest truth. And with that truth comes fear. A well-founded fear.

A fear of another failure.

As my mind once again played out the pros and cons of our impending ‘next step,’ I looked around and realized that I was pulling into my driveway at work. I had made it! Obsessing over something besides the weather conditions actually worked to distract me! Woohoo!

So, since I was safe and sound, I answered Richard’s “Did you make it to work?” text.

Me: I made it! My little car did awesome!
Richard: Well, YEAH! It has an awesome driver.
Me: Ha! I think last winter’s little accident proved that’s not true.
Richard: Oh, that wasn’t your fault. Shit happens.

And suddenly, with that one line of pure poetry coming out of my honey’s mouth (or, er…I guess I should say, fingers), it hit me. The glaringly obvious similarity. Duh! How did I not notice it before? This clear correlation between my fear of driving to work in the snow, and my fear of moving forward with Richard. The fears were identical. Both fears existed because of things that happened in the past. And just like my carrying the heavy burden of blame for the accident, I was carrying that same burden of blame for my past failed relationships.

And this burden – this heavy, unnecessary albatross around my neck – was preventing me from moving forward. Preventing me from just getting in the car (the new and improved car, I might add) and driving through the snow again. I learned my lessons. I drove a little slower. I bought a better car that was more suited to winter weather. I allowed myself more time. I wasn’t in any hurry. I learned. It wasn’t my “fault” exactly, I realize that now. As my philosophical sweetie so eloquently pointed out: shit happens. It does. It just happens. So, you adjust. You do things a little better next time. You take it slower. You make sure you’re better equipped. You let life make you smarter. And then you just keep going.

You just keep going.

So. Accident logic learned – I cannot just stop driving anywhere because I once wrecked. That would just be stupid, now wouldn’t it? (*ding ding ding*) Time to apply that logic elsewhere. No more fear. No more blame. No more albatross. Just let it go.

Time to move forward.

So, remember that little teaser I threw in there at the beginning? The part about me having what should have been a 30-minute drive to work, when I actually live an hour from work? Well, here’s why. I was at Richard’s house. You know why? Well, let’s just say the past week has been a ‘test run’ of sorts. We’re seeing what it would be like for me to live there. With him. Together. And you know what? We both feel – deep down in our guts – that this is the right thing to do. It just makes sense. You know?

So, as of January 1, 2014, Richard and I will be officially taking this next step forward to our future. We’re moving in together. We have our seatbelts on and we’re ready to go. Our previous ‘accidents’ are just that. Accidents. They happened, they’re over, we’ve learned, and we’re ready to hop back in the car and see where this next trip takes us.

It’s time.

Wish us luck….

(Oh, and hey. Do me a favor ok? Don’t tell my Grandma!!!…) 😉

***

“We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.”
– Rick Warren

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings. Tags: accident, blog, change, changed, dating, inspiration, inspirational, lessons, life, love, motivation, motivational, moving forward, photos, problems, Quotes, relationships, wreck, writing. 2 Comments

Sep. ’13

Luck

“Any fool can have bad luck; the art consists in knowing how to exploit it.”
– Frank Wedekind

Luck.

Ok, so you know those people, right? The ones who seem to have everything going for them. Who seem to skate through life with no noteworthy negativity [How do you like that alliteration??]. Everything just seems to go their way without them even having to lift a finger. *sigh* Must be nice. As some of my graceful, elegant family members used to describe it, “They walk around like they have a horseshoe stuck up their butt.”

(Ok, maybe “butt” wasn’t exactly their choice of words…but I digress…)

Well, me? Yeah, I am NOT one of those people. Especially when it comes to vehicles. While those people get to have horseshoes stuck up there, I apparently have an albatross that climbs up mine every time I get behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Now, maybe blaming it on luck isn’t exactly fair. I’m sure some of it may have to do with my own carelessness. Maybe. But seriously, a lot of it just really isn’t my fault. Really.

Let’s look at the past five months, shall we?

Some of my regular followers may remember that I had an accident back in April. I totaled my car. (Missed that blog? Want the gruesome details? Click here.)

[Ugh…ok, I’m lying. There aren’t any ‘gruesome’ details. That was just a shameless plug of an old blog to get you to read it. I’m a jerk…]

Anyhoozle…

So, I totaled my car. And that sucked. Yes, I guess you could say that was my ‘fault’ (at least my new insurance premium screams that loud and clear), but in my defense, a freak, unexpected winter storm hit us out of the blue while I was on the road. A new layer of snow on a curvy road doesn’t make for the most favorable road conditions. So, fault or no fault, I guess you could say a little bad luck was at play. That is, if you believe in that kind of thing. I call my boyfriend Richard and he comes and picks my car-less self up and takes me home to take care of me. (Awww.)

So, fast forward a few days. I finally feel able to drive again. (Now, nothing was all that wrong physically, mind you, other than my slight concussion – it was more of a mental barrier to wanting to drive again after flipping down a rocky bank…) That sweet, wonderful boyfriend of mine and his generous mom offer me a spare family vehicle to drive until I get the insurance stuff straightened out and get another car of my own, and I gratefully accept their offer.

So, here we go. Vehicle #2.

The *first* day I get behind the wheel of this borrowed car to drive to work, I’m about ten miles from home and out of nowhere comes a turkey. Yes, a turkey.

A TURKEY.

[**Note. This is not the actual turkey. But this is an accurate portrayal of the look that was on the little jerk’s face as he barreled towards me.]

He side swipes me and…rips off the driver’s side mirror.

Are you freakin kidding me??

Yep. A turkey just tore up my borrowed vehicle. So, of course I make what I feel like is the hardest call I’ve ever had to make to Richard and, through my tears, ‘fess up. And what does he do? Laughs. A lot. It’s not funny!! I borrow a vehicle and break it in the first ten minutes! How is that funny?? Still. He laughs.

Oh, he thinks that’s funny, huh? Let’s fast forward another two weeks. Really. Two tiny little weeks later, I’m driving along in the same borrowed car, now complete with a brand new driver’s side mirror, and what happens? I turn the wheel to the left going around a curve and…ready for this?…it FALLS OFF. I’m not exaggerating!! Ok, I’m exaggerating a little bit. It didn’t completely come off. But it fell over. Apparently this is known as a tie rod end breaking. Call it what you want, but I call it “Oh crap!” (And again, maybe crap wasn’t the actual word being used, but no point in digressing yet again…)

So, here comes call #3 to Richard. (If you’re keeping track, call #1 was totaling my own car. Call #2 was the turkey. And now call #3 is telling him his wheel fell off. And this is all within a matter of 2-3 weeks. *sigh*) He didn’t laugh as much this time. But he did have to come get me. Again.

Well, after some pretty hefty repair work and Richard driving me to work every day in the interim, I manage to drive his car for a few more weeks without anything else falling off. And eventually I am even finally able to get the insurance mess worked out and get a car of my very own. Yay! After the first few days of a random ‘check engine’ light malfunction (don’t EVEN tell me there’s no such thing as bad luck…), the dealership got everything taken care of and all was well. Smooth sailing with Vehicle #3…

Until today.

Trash pickup day.

Now, most of you know I am a runner. I just ran 8+ miles yesterday while working my way up to my second half marathon in November. You read that, right? I ran EIGHT miles yesterday. But you know what I apparently can’t do? Walk my trash down to the end of my driveway. Ugh. It’s sooooo far. (Read that with your internal whiny voice, because that’s exactly how I just said it.) Nope. That 100-foot walk to the end of my driveway is apparently too much for this chick. Instead, I feel the need to drive it down and drop it off as I leave for work. And, well, it’s a bag. Of trash. I don’t want to put that nasty thing in my cute little car. Gross. So, what do I do?

I leave my driver’s side door propped open and back down the driveway holding the bag of trash out of the car. You with me? You got the mental image? You see me backing down a slight declined driveway holding a bag of trash out of my door? Ok, now picture a huge mound of dirt that I forgot was there. And then picture my drivers side door catching on that mound of dirt. Picture me not noticing and continuing to back down the driveway…and picture my door bending BACKWARDS and practically breaking completely off.

Seriously?? SERIOUSLY?

Call #4. “Richard? Um. I just broke my door off of my car…”

*sigh*

Goodbye, Goldie Sue. (It’s a gold Subaru. Isn’t that name clever? Yeah, like that matters to this story…)

So, here we are again. Richard had to come and get me and take me to the same borrowed vehicle from before and once again save the day by giving me something to drive to work until I get mine repaired.

Story should end there, huh?

Oh no. Not for Melissa.

On the way home today, the passenger side mirror on the borrowed vehicle that had been just a tad loose all along, decided to go ahead and snap all the way off. Of course it happens while I’m driving it.

Call #5. “Um, Richard? You know that mirror that was loose? It just broke off. But it’s NOT MY FAULT….”

Wow.

I’m betting not many of you are going to want to ride with me after reading this blog, huh? Well, join the club.

Hey, at least I have one living creature that will still come along for the ride…

Bless her heart.

Well, there you have it. Confessions of a Bad Driver, Volume One. I’m sure there will be plenty more to come….

Hey, if you can’t laugh at yourself, what can you do? You know? Yes, I have some seriously bad luck when it comes to vehicles. That albatross has apparently found a nice comfy home.

But you know what? That bad luck only applies to vehicles. Because look at the rest of my life. Look at this story alone. I have a wonderful, patient man who is always there to help me pick up the crazy pieces of my chaotic life and calmly put them all back together. I walked away from a totaled car with barely a scratch, I have a cute little dog (ok, it’s the neighbor’s but she doesn’t realize that) who loves to go along on car rides with me, and I have wonderful readers who read this blog and come along on this crazy ride and laugh right along with the silly happenings of my never-a-dull-moment life.

Hmmm.

Maybe I’m actually a pretty lucky lady after all.

Well. That is, if you believe in that kind of thing…

***

“Not many people have had as much bad luck as I have, but not many people have had as much good luck, either.”
– Tig Notaro

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings. Tags: accident, bad luck, blog, car, change, comedy, dog, flaws, friendship, good luck, humor, inspiration, love, luck, motivation, photos, problems, Quotes, relationships, runner, vehicles, wreck, writing. 6 Comments

Apr. ’13

Little Things

“You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.”
– Andy Warhol

(Let me start this blog with a disclaimer to my child. No, Kelly – this is not a tribute to One Direction and their song of the same title. Sorry, kid.)

Ok. Back to business.

Little things.

I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot recently. Especially over these past few days. A variety of “little things” have seemed to catch my attention more lately than they might normally do.

For instance.

I went to visit my grandparents in the nursing home this past weekend. They have both been recently admitted after battling pneumonia and, unfortunately, the prognosis is not a great one for my 96-year-old grandfather. Thankfully, they have been placed in the same room so they can spend this time together, although my grandmother’s failing memory makes it hard for her to understand what is happening. But even with his sickness, and her failing memory, they both periodically asked about the other and looked over to be sure the other was still there. To me, that was beautiful. A glance to make sure the one you love is still by your side? Yes, a little thing in the grand scheme. But so very beautiful.

Also, while I was there, it was mentioned that my grandmother’s fingernails needed cutting and she hadn’t been able to do it herself. So, I cut them. Cutting your aging grandmother’s fingernails? Definitely a little thing. But it meant something to me. In my tiny little way, I was able to help. Little things.

I watched my cousin Amy feeding my grandfather.

Putting a spoon to someone’s mouth when they aren’t strong enough to do it on their own? Yes, maybe a little thing. But is it so little? I think not.

Aside from the trip to visit my grandparents (and possibly because of it), other little things started catching my attention as well.

The man I love, for instance.

Now, for those of you don’t know us personally, let me start by explaining something. I am in love with the quietest man alive. It’s true. The spoken word is not his speciality. One of his favorite quotes is by Mark Twain: “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” Smart man. Me, on the other hand? I never shut up. We are the proverbial Mutt and Jeff of verbal communication. Well, in public anyway.

But for the past few days, I seem to be “hearing” him much more clearly than I ever have before.

I’ve mentioned in previous blogs that he is letting me borrow a vehicle until I can get the insurance mess sorted out from my wreck and can get a new one. Earlier this week, the vehicle started overheating a little. So, what does he do? Gives me his own truck to drive to work so that he can keep it and check to see what’s wrong. He then fixes it and returns it – with new windshield wipers to boot because it was a rainy day. Little things? Maybe.

After dinner one night while the kids played together, I was overwhelmed with a sudden feeling of exhaustion. Usually I immediately start clearing the table after we eat (he cooks, so it’s the least I can do), but instead I asked if he’d mind if I went and laid down for a bit. Not only did he not mind, but he came and laid with me. We both ended up falling asleep and my daughter got this sweet picture of us:

A nap together as a break from a busy day? A little thing? Maybe.

Another example – Mondays are hectic for me now. My daughter was cast as Annie in our local production and I am a chorus member. We have rehearsals on Mondays and she also has dance class on Mondays. It’s hard to be in all these places at the same time, mind you. So, what does that man of mine do? Helps. He picked her up from dance and brought her back to rehearsal so that I didn’t have to leave during chorus rehearsal. And this followed him keeping her for me over the weekend so I was able to visit my grandparents like I mentioned before.

Little things?

I’m telling you. Pay attention. Those little things speak loudly if you train your ears to hear them.

A few more before I wrap up.

I ran 11 miles yesterday in honor of all who were affected by the Boston marathon bombings. It was my longest distance to date as a runner. I wore my printed-out Boston runner’s bib in tribute. While on the run, a fellow runner saw my bib as he was passing, and reached out and high-fived me. A high-five from a stranger? Definitely a little thing, but it sure had a big impact. (Before the run was over, I got a few car honks as well.)

Also – a new friend of mine who is an ultra runner celebrated my 11 mile run with me as if it were her own personal victory. Did I mention she’s an ultra runner? She has run in a 130-mile race. Yes, you read that right. One hundred and thirty miles. And she celebrated my 11 like it was the greatest thing on earth. Little things.

A random sweet text from my son; an email from a friend saying that my blog has inspired them to start running; getting chills while listening to a room full of little girls singing songs at a rehearsal for Annie….

I have to make myself stop. This list could go on and on and on.

And isn’t that awesome?

Take the time to notice them. They’re everywhere. All of these little things are what make this crazy ride called life worthwhile. Unfortunately, we are sometimes too busy to appreciate them. But we need to stop that. These may be the memories that fill our minds one day when we’re looking back on our past – the same ones that we might forget to give a second glance to in the present. So, stop. Look around. Hear the things that aren’t being said – see the things that aren’t so obvious. Be grateful. Be appreciative. Be alive.

Now, go make your list of little things.

***

“Half the joy of life is in little things taken on the run…
but let us keep our hearts young and our eyes open that nothing worth our while shall escape us.”
– Victor Cherbuliez

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings. Tags: accident, blog, change, changed, dating, daughter, death, family, friendship, grandparents, health, heart, history, inspiration, inspirational, little, loss, love, memories, motivation, motivational, passion, photos, Quotes, relationships, runner, running, theatre, things, wreck, writing. 2 Comments

Apr. ’13

Excuses = Fuel

I went for a 4-mile run this morning. This was only my second run since my accident a few weeks ago. I’m trying to take it slow and ease back in. But after today’s run, I have realized something.

I’m ready.

My half marathon is 3 weeks from today. This wreck did slow me down, I’ll give it that. But it’s not going to stop me. I’m still going to do what I had planned to do. No excuses.

While running, I was thinking of all this and this random phrase entered my mind:

Turn your excuses into fuel.

At first, I’m not sure where that phrase came from or even if it made any sense. But as I thought about it more, it started making perfect sense. I started thinking of all of the excuses I’ve used in regards to running and all of the ways that I’ve turned those excuses from hindrances to motivators. And if you’re a runner – or even if you’re just a living breathing human and have considered doing anything ever and have let excuses stop you – you might relate to some of these. Here are some examples of the excuses I have used in the past, and the responses I found to give myself:

I can’t run because I am overweight. Oh yeah? Well awesome. Running will help you lose weight. Go run.

I can’t run because I don’t have the energy. Oh yeah? No energy? Awesome. Running will help you find that energy. The feeling after a run is hard to beat. You’re energized for the day. Now go run.

I can’t run because I’m too tired. Awesome. See above. Running energizes you. That tired feeling will be gone before you know it. Run.

I can’t run because I have kids. Really? You have kids? Awesome. Teach them that staying active and healthy is important. Show them that if you can do it, they can do it. And you might even get to the point where you do it together. So go get started. Go run.

I can’t run because it’s taking too much time away from my kids. No, it’s not. It’s taking some time away from your kids – not too much time. And you know you need some time alone. And besides, you’re teaching your kids that time alone is important too and they’ll know to make it a priority one day themselves. And that’s something that they really need to learn. Go run.

I can’t run because I don’t have time. Yes, you do. I used to say the same thing and, believe me, I am extremely busy. I live over an hour from where I work and I have two active teenagers. I found the time. You will too. You make time for what’s important. Run.

I can’t run because it’s raining outside or it’s cold or there’s a tornado or a hailstorm or whatever. Awesome. Good reason to finally join the gym. And you can do more than run there. There are weights and machines and everything. And if you try hard enough you can even figure out how to use them. True story.

I don’t have the money to join the gym. You don’t? Awesome. That will make you cut your expenses in other places like you know you needed to do anyway. It’s amazing how much you can save when you turn those lunchtime McDonald’s runs into lunchtime gym runs.

I’m going through a relationship breakup. Yeah, I know. That sucks. And it makes you sad. But guess what? Now you’re going to have even more time to run. Taking time to spend with just yourself is more important now than ever. Take this new time and use it. You’ll amaze yourself with how strong you are. Now go run.

And now we got back together. Oh yeah? Awesome. Now you have your running buddy and cheerleader back. And he understands and supports you training for this half marathon. Don’t worry about taking the time you need to train. He gets it. And he’ll be there at the finish line. How awesome is that? Now go run.

Now I have all these man-hating songs on my running playlist… Awesome. Replace all the dude references with references to your old self instead. It’s amazing how motivating those songs can be when you dedicate them to the old excuse maker that used to be you. Show that chick who’s the boss and who’s going to rise above it all. Go run.

And finally…

I can’t run because I had a wreck. Yes, you did. And it was scary and it sucked. And you got hurt. But it won’t last forever. It took a little out of your training schedule plans, but that’s ok. There’s nothing written in stone that says you had to follow every single step of that training plan. Two days before you got in that accident, you ran 10 miles. TEN MILES! Girlfriend, you got this. That wreck did nothing but make you stronger than you were before. Because it served to show you that NOTHING is going to stop you.

So, yep.

Turn your excuses into fuel.

Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Glad I thought of it.

Now, go run.

***

“It is wise to direct your anger towards problems – not people;
to focus your energies on answers – not excuses.”
– William Arthur Ward

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings, Running. Tags: accident, blog, change, changed, dating, exuses, friendship, health, heart, inspiration, inspirational, love, motivation, motivational, passion, photos, Quotes, race, relationships, runner, running, wreck, writing. 3 Comments

Apr. ’13

Rainbow

“My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky.”
– William Wordsworth

[Warning: This is going to be one of those fuzzy warm feel-good kinda blogs. I mean, it’s about a rainbow. You had to see that coming. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…]

Ok, so I know sometimes I think too much. Sometimes I might see more in a situation than what might really be there. I get that about myself. (Of course, in my defense, I still stand by the fact that it’s better to see too much than to see too little.) But I had a pretty cool experience this morning and I want to share it.

As most of you know, I had a car accident a week ago yesterday. My car flipped down a bank and was totaled, but thank God I walked away with just a headache and a few scrapes. Now that I’m ok, I get to deal with a different kind of headache…the avalanche of insurance paperwork aftermath. Ugh. But in all the crap I’m having to deal with, there’s one thing I’m not having to worry about. And that’s transportation. My incredibly generous boyfriend has offered me a spare vehicle to drive.

And it’s not just any ol’ vehicle, mind you. It was his dad’s.

Richard’s dad passed away a few years ago, and he meant the absolute world to him. I know he misses him every single day. So, I know that trusting me to drive his vehicle is a pretty big deal. I, unfortunately, didn’t have the pleasure of knowing him. I came into Richard’s life just a little too late. And from what I have come to understand, I really missed out. I remember over a year ago when Richard and I first started seeing each other. Anytime I would mention the name of the guy I was dating, local people would say, “Oh, Richard? Yeah I know him. Great guy. Clyde was his dad, right? Clyde was such a good man…” It never failed. Happened every single time. I hope I’m remembered like that one day.

And incidentally, even though I never met him personally, I feel like I know him by knowing Richard. Because from what I’ve heard of him, his son is just like him. I have a Keith Urban CD with a song on it called “Song for Dad.” Here’s an excerpt from the lyrics:

In everything he ever did
He always did with love
And I’m proud today to say I’m his son
When somebody says I hope I get to meet your dad
I just smile and say you already have.

So yeah. In a way, I already have.

So, anyway, back to the rainbow.

This morning, as I was driving to work in Clyde’s vehicle, I was thinking about all of this. I was just feeling so grateful for having a way to get work, and was thinking about the huge amount of generosity that allowed for that. Which made me remember another thing that I’ve heard about Richard’s dad. Richard has always talked about how his dad was always so willing to help anyone who needed it. And he would do these things quietly, without fanfare or recognition. He just wanted to help. As I remembered this, I realized that his legacy is still living on. He’s helping me, someone he’s never even met – through his son. He’s letting me borrow his car. And he’s doing it quietly. Without recognition. Without fanfare.

Something about that thought made me feel better about using the vehicle like I am. Rather than feeling like a burden, I feel like I’m helping a story to continue on like it should. Make sense?

And I kid you not – the very moment that thought crossed my mind, I glanced up and there was this gorgeous rainbow stretching across the sky. I mean it, it was absolutely beautiful.

Just a scientific coincidence? Maybe. Maybe it meant nothing at all.

But could it have been more than that? A gentle agreeable “nod” from beyond? A sign?

Yes. Maybe it was. At least I like to think so.

In fact, I like to think that signs like that are all around us a lot more often than we take the time to notice. We just have to remember to keep looking up to see them.

***

“There’s a rainbow in the sky all the time – don’t be blind.”
– Ziggy Marley

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings. Tags: accident, blog, change, changed, death, inspiration, inspirational, loss, love, motivation, motivational, photos, Quotes, rainbow, relationships, wreck, writing. Leave a comment

Apr. ’13

Back in the Saddle

Today I decided not to be a wimp.

For the past five days since my accident, I’ve been moping and whining thinking that I’m not going to be able to run again anytime soon. Now, yes, I know running should be the last thing on my mind after what I went through. But the fact is, it’s just not. It’s very much in the forefront of my mind. Running has been my best friend for a while. Call me crazy, I don’t care. But that’s just a fact. When everything around me was changing, running was always there to turn to. Friends came and went, circumstances changed sometimes at the drop of a hat, family emergencies took place, etc. etc. But still. There was running. My old pal, my old confidant. It never left me.

So, to feel like it was going to be gone for a while made me pretty sad. Almost depressed even.

Especially given that this happened right in the middle of my half marathon training. As most of you know (since I mention it every other breath), I have my first half marathon scheduled for May 4. That’s 25 days away. I mean, if I were counting. But I’m not. Because ya know. It’s no biggie or anything….

MY FIRST HALF MARATHON IS 25 DAYS AWAY! AHHH!

And here I am sitting around missing valuable training days because of a dumb ol’ accident.

Well, today, I decided I’m not having that anymore.

Now, I was careful, mind you. I’m wasn’t going to jump back out there and run 10 miles again like I ran last week. But I did jump back out there. And I ran 3.5 miles. And I’m pretty darn proud of myself, even if I do say so. Man, it felt good. And I even did it on my lunch break from work. Even better.

As I ran, one of my favorite “I am woman, hear me roar” running songs came on my playlist, and the lyrics stood out to me more today than ever before. The song is Survivor by Destiny’s Child:

I’m a survivor
I’m not gonna give up
I’m not gonna stop
I’m gonna work harder
I’m a survivor
I’m gonna make it
I will survive
Keep on survivin’

You dang right. This girl is a survivor. Has been before, will be today, and will be tomorrow. That’s just all there is to it.

Today will be known as my “back in the saddle” day.

May 4 half marathon, here I come.

***

“I run because it’s so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can’t. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you’re capable of so much more than you thought.”
– Arthur Blank

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings, Running. Tags: accident, blog, change, changed, health, heart, inspiration, inspirational, motivation, motivational, passion, photos, Quotes, race, runner, running, wreck, writing. Leave a comment

Apr. ’13

Reflection

My daughter took this picture of me on Friday, the day after I wrecked and totaled my car on this bank. We were looking through some of the rubble that was left behind. Among the broken glass, car parts, and general debris, I found something interesting. My mirror. My unbroken, completely intact mirror. She took the picture just as I found it and was looking into it.

So, most people might stop here with, “Cool. Mirror didn’t break. Awesome,” and move along. But nope. Not me. Not deep-thinking, over-analytical me. I have to blog about it.

It’s a mirror. Ya know? How symbolic is that?! Among everything else that was shattered and destroyed, two things remained unharmed. This mirror. And me.

Something tells me that’s not a coincidence.

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever that answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
– Steve Jobs

Life can definitely knock you for a loop sometimes. In this case – quite literally. Walking away from an accident that very likely could have killed me has had a pretty profound affect on me. It’s hard not to question why I’m still here. Is there something left for me to do? Is there a difference I’m supposed to make? Is there something I need to be doing differently in my life? In my heart? In my mind?

I honestly have no clue. Not yet.

But what I do have is a mirror. And I intend to keep it as a reminder. I’m putting it up beside my bed and I intend to look into it every morning before I start each day. I want it to serve as a reminder that I’m still here. And as long as I see my reflection staring back at me, my job here is not done.

***

“Here is the test to find out if your mission on Earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t.”
– Richard Bach

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings. Tags: accident, blog, change, changed, inspiration, inspirational, loss, mirror, motivation, motivational, photos, Quotes, reflection, wreck, writing. 5 Comments

Apr. ’13

Just Like That…Again

A few weeks ago, I was the first to arrive at an accident. Click here to read the blog I wrote about it.

And then today, on my way home from work in the ice and snow, this happened to me:

These pictures were taken at the place where the car was towed, not at the scene. Had they been taken at the scene, the car wouldn’t be sitting right side up. And it wouldn’t be on level ground. It would be down over a bank.

But let me back up a little.

If you haven’t read my old blog entry, what I’m about to say probably won’t have as much of an effect. As for me, the one who was there – the effect is surreal. I still can’t quite wrap my mind around it.

So, I was on my way home from work today. I left early so that I could take my son to a doctor’s appointment (which ended up being canceled due to the weather – go figure). The weather was getting pretty rough, but I’ve driven in this stuff a million times. When you live an hour one-way from where you work, traveling is not a big deal. I’ve driven through it all. I’m not saying I’m careless…I know when to slow down and when to take it easy. But I’ve never been one to shy away from driving somewhere because of road conditions. So, off I went.

The roads were horrible. I hadn’t seen them like this in a while. It happened so suddenly and unexpectedly. I hadn’t heard anything forecasted like this and wasn’t really ready for how quickly the road conditions changed. And – just like that – I lost control.

Everything is really a blur to tell you the truth. The EMT workers explained to me (like I heard them to do the woman in my previous blog a few weeks ago) that it’s not uncommon for you to lose your memory temporarily after something like this. All I remember is losing control of the car. I vaguely remember being upside down more than once (I’m told now that the car probably flipped twice on the way down the bank), and I remember opening my eyes after it was all over. I remember looking around the car and realizing that everything was everywhere. Stuff I didn’t even know I had in the car was now laying on the seat beside me, in the floorboard, in my lap, etc. I began to frantically search for my phone. I wasn’t even sure what I was going to do when I found it. I just wasn’t thinking straight. I tried to open my car door and, of course, it wouldn’t open. The car was tilted on its side and I was stuck. When I finally was able to find my phone in the middle of the clutter, my first call was not to 911 like any sane person would have done, but it was to Richard. (I pause here to reflect on how different that call would have been a month ago. Just one short month ago when Richard and I weren’t even talking and were trying to live our lives pretending the other didn’t exist. Would he have still been the one I called? Strangely, I’m certain he would have been. But I digress…) So, I called Richard and tried to frantically tell him what happened. Before I could even get out one garbled sentence, I heard a voice from outside the car. I turned around and realized for the first time that there was no back window anymore on my car. An elderly man was calling to me from the outside asking if I was ok.

I was actually shocked that anyone was there. When I lost control of the car, I was on a road where there was no traffic. And after looking around me, I realized that I had gone down over a steep bank and could not be seen from the road. I asked him how he knew I was there and he said he and his son were passing by and saw my tire tracks in the ice and snow and saw the broken fence. They pulled over and looked down the bank and saw my car and didn’t hesitate to climb down the bank and come to me. They helped me out of the car through the only door that would open – the passenger side. Once I got out of the car, I realized that I wasn’t exactly as ok as I thought I was. The world was spinning and I got the first sensations of a headache. The man and his son helped me climb the bank up to the road and get into a truck (their truck? I’m not even sure). Eventually people started arriving and the rest is pretty much a blur. As I began to calm down, I realized my head really really hurt. At some point a woman got into the truck and began talking to me. I’m still not sure who she was or why she was there…except that I think I heard her say she lived down the road. And at one point while she was talking to me, I looked down and realized something that brought a flood of memories back to me. I was holding her hand. Holding her hand. Just like the woman in my last blog held mine.

At this point, I finally started to cry. In fact, I sobbed. Through my incoherence and tears, I tried to explain to her how very grateful I was that she, and all of the other people were there. I finally knew how the woman in the white car felt. I was now the woman in the white car. And I was the one in need of the kindness of strangers.

Richard soon arrived and I don’t remember much after that. He took over with all the details (talking to the police officer, gathering my things, etc.) and I was whisked away in an ambulance due to the nice size knots forming on my noggin. After a painful ambulance ride, a million questions, and a CT scan, it was deemed that my mother had always been right…I really am hard-headed. This exceptionally thick skull of mine finally served its purpose and kept everything inside safe. I was going to be ok.

Now, ready for the good part?

As they were rolling me into the hospital, all I could think about was “Denise.” The woman in the wreck a few weeks ago. I was pretty sure her name was Denise. And I remembered her saying she worked at this hospital. This hospital. So, I asked for her. The technician who was working on me at the time said that yes, he did know her, and was she a friend of mine? I didn’t really know how to answer that or explain why I was asking about her. So I didn’t. I just said, “this happened to her.”

And a few minutes later, there she was.

It was surreal. There I lay on the stretcher, the same way she laid just a few short weeks ago, and now it was her by my side. She remembered me – of course she remembered me – and again, she held my hand. We talked and talked. She told me how she was doing (oh how many times I wondered that) and told me that she thought of me many times and wondered who I was and why I had stopped for her that day. I told her how much I now realized what she had went through and how grateful I was that our paths had crossed again in this fateful, ironic way. While the doctors and nurses swirled around us, we just talked. Just like old friends. Old friends whose paths had crossed at a time when they needed to. And were now crossing again – for the same reason.

I’m not even sure how to put into words what I’m trying to say here with this blog. The girl who is always so full of words is finally somewhat speechless. There’s a lesson to be learned here and I’m grasping trying to figure out what it is. Perhaps my head will be a little clearer tomorrow when it doesn’t hurt quite so much. But for tonight, through the pain, this is all I know to tell you. Everything – everything – happens for a reason. What you sow, you will reap. Reach out and help someone when you can, because next time it might be you that needs the help.

Next time, you might be the woman in the white car.

***

“There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be…”
– John Lennon