Near Death Experience

I had a near death experience driving into work this morning.  As I’m whipping down the freeway going 75 mph at 6:00 am, my entire car shut off.  When I say shut off, I mean completely shut down.  No brakes, no power steering, no gas, nothing.  I cut across 5 lanes of traffic to the nearest exit, got clipped on the back end, and coasted to a stop.  All during a rainstorm.

As my car had 180,000 miles on it, I knew this day was coming, but I didn’t anticipate the car failing as I was whipping down the freeway.  I figured it would be more along the lines of the car not starting one day.  I was extremely shaken.  For about 5 min, I couldn’t even figure out how to work my phone to call Mike, or AAA, or anyone who could help.  Honestly, I can’t believe I was able to think straight enough to get off the freeway and find a safe place to coast to a stop.  Apparently the older you get, the better you think in intense situations.  A younger Maren would have thrown up her hands and started screaming, or possibly tried to jump out of the car. 

I did learn a few things about myself from this experience, which I’m grateful for. 

First of all, I am learning to handle stress a LOT better than I used to.  No longer does a serious situation render me a crying mess.  Instead, I am able to get myself to a safe place and then think through the options.  I also can talk myself down, which is how I figured out how to use the phone again.  (Though I never did manage to find the hazard lights)

Second, I like living.  There is nothing like thinking you are going to get smashed into pieces to remind you how wonderful life really is. 

Third, I REALLY hate driving.  So next time I have to go somewhere with someone, come pick me up.