Friday, May 4, 2012

Why I Did the Ugly Cry

Something took place at the beginning of this week that seriously scared me. It was so scary that I cried and not the regular cry. No, I'm talking about the ugly "I can't breathe" hysterical cry. Yes, me. Me, the emotionally-stunted heartless woman that I am :)

What caused me to react this way?

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And this -->


I was on the freeway driving home from work on Monday night, listening to my radio and mentally reviewing my to-do list when my car began to shake. I turned off my cruise control, decreased my speed, and slowly moved into the right lane. I turned down the radio so I could listen for any weird sounds that might be coming from the car and thought to myself "What in the heck is going on??". Suddenly I heard what sounded like an explosion and my car started veering off the freeway. I slowly but firmly started pressing down on the brake while gripping the wheel like it was a piece of cake that someone was trying to steal from me!

I was able to come to a complete stop and after saying "oh shit!" a million times once or twice, I climbed across the seat and exited the car on the passenger side. I looked at what was left of the wheel and realized there was a bigger problem than I had anticipated. Without getting into all of the gory details, I'll just tell you that the tire on my passenger side blew causing damage to the wheel hub, bumper, and grille.


What's left of my bumper
I was scared but happy that I was able to call Tom to come and rescue me. I was able to hold it together until Tom arrived at the spot on the freeway where my car was parked. My husband walked up to the car to survey the damage. He didn't say a word as he shined his flashlight on the pieces of the tire I took out of the road, the broken grille, or the bumper that was barely hanging on. He didn't utter a word until he walked up to me, put his hands on my face, and said "You did good".  At that point, I broke down and starting crying hysterically. I knew just as he did that this could have been a very ugly deadly situation. As a firefighter, he sees a large number of deaths that are car-related.

I have been a bit shaky and at times emotional since Monday night. All I can think about is how grateful I am that The Princess was not in the car with me. If she had been in the car, I'm not sure what I would have done. It scares me to my core to even think about it!!

I'm thankful that the only damage is to my car and I was able to walk away unharmed. While I'm upset that my beautiful car is broken and in need of a serious makeover, I know it could have been a lot worse. A car is a material thing which can be replaced, a life cannot.

It's all about perspective.

27 comments:

  1. omgoodness, i am so happy to hear that you are OK. that is so scary indeed. i would have done the ugly cry too.

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    1. Thank you, Faith!! I hope you & Sean are doing well!!

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  2. Oh my gosh, that is SO scary. Thank goodness you are okay. I would have done the ugly cry myself... but ha I do that weekly ;) Again so glad you are okay!

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    1. You do the ugly cry weekly?!?!? Goodness woman! ;)

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  3. I'm so glad that you are all right. You were amazing poised to handle that situation so well. That's so scary!

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    1. Thank you, Carissa. It was definitely frightening, to say the least!

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  4. Holy shit is right - I'm glad you are ok! That would scare me to death!

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  5. How scary!! I would've done the "ugly cry" too! So glad you're ok!! Sending hugs!

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  6. You totally deserve to do the "ugly cry" from that, scary!! I'm glad you're okay too and were able to handle that situation!

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    1. Thanks! I'm just happy I was able to stay calm...a rarity for me :)

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  7. oh my!!!!i am so glad you walked away from that car physically intact!!!
    you have the right to ugly cry all you want!
    i know that had to be one of the scariest things ever,but you are so right when you said that the car is only material and can be replaced....lives on the other hand,cant!

    so glad you are okay!!!!
    ****HUGS*****

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    1. Thanks, Melissa!! I'm definitely grateful that it was just my car that was banged up and not me or my little lady! God was definitely watching over me!

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  8. OH so glad you are OK....How scary. I am with Tom, you did well!!! The rest can be fixed. Have a relaxing, calm weekend.

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    1. I plan on relaxing and just being still this weekend! Thanks :)

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  9. I am glad you are okay & safe. I understand the emotional pain. Glad your daughter wasn't in the car either!

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    1. I think that's what freaked me out the most - knowing that she could have been with me - ahhh!!! Worst fear ever!

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  10. Oh wow! I can only imagine what kind of trauma it could cause. But you managed to stop on the freeway no less and thankfully you or no one else was hurt...WOW!.....

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    1. I was very lucky that there were few cars on the road! I'm definitely counting my blessings!

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  11. OMG I am so happy you're ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!! How horrifying!

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  12. Oh goodness! I don't blame you for breaking into tears--I would have been a mess if that were me. I'm just glad that you are alright!

    xoxo

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    1. I was a big ol' ugly mess...but hey, I had an excuse to be ;)

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  13. I'm so glad you are okay!!! What a great husband you have!

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    1. Thanks! I'm definitely a lucky lady - Tom takes good care of me!!

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  14. OMG I'm just seeing this. Thank goodness you're ok and I'm so happy Princess wasn't in the car. You were great in such a stressful scary situation!! Kudos. And your hubby is so sweet. I'm really really glad you're OK.

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