Accidents

Accident:

[ak-si-duhnt] –noun

1. an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap: automobile accidents.

2. Law . such a happening resulting in injury that is in no way the fault of the injured person for which compensation or indemnity is legally sought.

3. any event that happens unexpectedly, without a deliberate plan or cause.

 

Accidents are strange. They feel surreal, assuming that you are fortunate enough to walk away unharmed. Most accidents, say around the house, are a disappointment, not resulting in any major injury, or sometimes, maybe, there's a close call; like a near fall down a flight of stairs that was narrowly averted. I tend to chastise myself for not being aware, or for not being focused on what I was doing.

 

Then there are the accidents that occur with Sophia, the childish accidents that 5, nearly 6 year olds get themselves into. Those are always nerve wracking, but thus far, I've been able to keep her injury to a minimum through management and a little T.L.C.

 

The family got into a little fender bender car accident yesterday and it shook us up a bit. For me, being a passenger, and then being a mother to the child in the backseat, I had a wild range of emotions. In my usual tact and class, the minute we were struck from behind, I screamed out a profanity, and then turned around to see if Sophia was ok, who was shouting "we crashed!!" and then began crying, which triggered me to cry. Everyone was perfectly fine; no physical injuries to anyone in the accident, and there were 4 cars in the pile up. It could have been so much worse, and I am so happy that it was just a fender bender, but it is frightening to think of how quickly things can go so wrong.

 

To see the accident through Sophia's eyes, her first accident at such a young age, when things in life are all good, and easy, and taken care of, it's been meaningful for me. Her trust is damaged. She doesn't want to get into the car again until it's fixed and she can't see "the white part sticking out" any more. We stayed up a little late talking it through and mostly she is afraid it will happen again, but that the car won't be fixed right and it won't protect us anymore. I pulled out all my tricks to reassure her that the car will be fixed, that it's unlikely to happen again, and that it WILL protect us.

 

How do I assure her, when there is no assurance? Aside from shutting ones self off from the world, or walking to every destination, there's no way to eliminate the risk of a car accident. It's there every time we get in the car. 

 

It reminded ME that things like this happen. It's been years and years since I've been in or around any kind of auto accident or incident. A person just forgets through years of safe driving, and being in the right places at the right times, that accidents happen, and the sobering side of it is that people can and do get hurt; all the time.

 

I'm filled to the rim with abundant gratitude for the gift of each day with my family and loved ones. I'm grateful that we're safe, and healthy, and unharmed. I am humbled by the gifts my daughter keeps giving me every day. Every day her exuberant, shining, trusting, innocent, real, raw self shows me the way to be a better person; to work toward deserving everything she puts in me.