Dependance

4 Things I Learned Because I Lost My Car

Well, it's been almost a year now. On Christmas Eve last year, I got into a car accident and the other driver totaled my car. It sucked not having a car. I hated being in a different state than my family and having virtually no way of going home. And though I didn't understand it or even like it over this year, I have learned many lessons because of it. Don't get me wrong, I totally wish I had wheels, but I wouldn't trade these lessons for anything.

1. I can't do it all.
     -I got my first car before I could even drive it by myself. I was a kid, I didn't really have any place to go besides school or a friends house. And of course, my mom would take me if she could or I caught the bus to school. But when I got my license, there was no place I couldn't go. I was free to drive wherever I wanted to go at basically any time I wanted. In my mind, I could do it all. I could take other people places if I wanted to, but no one had to take me anywhere. Losing my car, I learned that I can't do it all. I cannot not ask for help. I can't be this independent person I tried to be.

2. Others are dependable.
     -Not only are others dependable, but it is OKAY to depend on others. I know I'm not alone on this one when I say I've had people let me down and kind of ruin the whole trust me phrase. I'll admit, I did let a few people spoil it all. But I've learned that people can be depended on to take me places or just be there for me in general. But so much more than that, I've learned that it is more than okay to trust someone else. I thought asking for help was a weakness, that I couldn't do something for myself. But quite the opposite, I've come to realize that many people actually love helping me. Like what? Isn't that crazy?  I cannot begin to express the amount of friends that have stepped up and given me a ride here or there just because they care about me. It is truly a blessing to have people I know I can depend on whenever I need anything. Thank you guys so much.

3. I am no better than anyone else.
     -Well this should be obvious. But I guess I lost sight of it when I had a car. In some way, I guess I felt better than that guy on the corner who couldn't go anywhere because he didn't have a car But having been stripped of mine, I see that I literally am no better. It puts a different perspective on things when you lose what you treasured. I guess that leads nicely into my next point:

4. Never take for granted what you have.
     -It can be taken away just as quickly as it was given. In the blink of an eye, my car was hit head on by another guy. There was no way of predicting that I would have gotten into an accident. But just as fast as I got into the car, I saw it being wheeled away by the tow truck. It was gone. And I could replace the idea of a car with anything. Everything I have right now is temporary. It won't be here forever, I won't have it my whole life. That is why it was so important for me to learn this. I remember being so upset, so mad that I no longer had a car. But I lost the bigger picture. I was okay, I didn't lose my life during the accident when I easily could have.

I am certain there are others lessons to be learned from this experience, but these are a few I have been thinking about alot lately. Thanks for reading.

Blessings, Hannah
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