Every Wednesday I leave my home in Las Vegas and make the two hour drive to Movara in Ivins, Utah. Three days ago was just like any other Wednesday. I got up, showered, threw some things together in a bag to last me until I would return home again, kissed my husband goodbye and drove off in my gold, ugly, but perfectly functioning 2007 Ford Focus.
I took the back road to the resort because it shaves off about 20 minutes for me, though it is out in the middle of nowhere and a little bit scarier drive. About 20 minutes from the resort I reached down to grab a drink that had fallen to the floor of the passenger side. When I looked up again I was veering onto the shoulder, which was all gravel and broken road. It scared me and I turned my wheel too quickly to get me back on track. My car hit the oily road and skid one way, then the other. It was fishtailing so bad and all I could think was, “don’t overcorrect! Don’t overcorrect!” But it was too late and my car was totally out of control.
The noise from the screeching tires was on surround sound in my head until it was replaced with a sound much worse and a feeling that I’ll never forget. My car skid drastically to one side and flipped. The momentum allowed it to roll three or four times. I was completely alert and aware of what was happening as the glass crashed all around me and the body of my car crunched more with every flip.
The car suddenly stopped upside down with me still buckled inside. I hung upside down for a second trying to piece together what had just happened. In that moment my mind was blessed with clarity as I brought my attention to my neck and back to make sure nothing was broken before I moved and got myself out. 
I reached down to the roof of the car and checked for glass before I pressed my hands against it to check my arm strength. No broken bones in my arms, so I supported myself with one arm as I unbuckled with the other and flopped down. I climbed over broken glass out the hole where the back windshield had been. I walked to the road and flagged down a truck who was able to call 911.
I kept waiting for the adrenaline to wear off to discover several broken bones or giant gashes, but I never did. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it! My dad says that our future babies served as my angels that day, holding me while my car crashed all around me…again. I like that. We have tried for so many years to become parents and I like to believe that they are coming soon, but for now they are our angels.
Sometimes things happen in our lives that are completely unexpected, unplanned for, and hard. Things happen that don’t make sense and mess up our plan or our regimen. It’s not what we got through that determines who we are but what we do in those situations. We can either let bumps in our road throw us off forever or shape us into who we want to be. The Biggest Loser Season 11’s Moses Kinikini was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his knee the second or third week of filming. He was put on bed rest for 10 days. He was on a quest to lose weight and instead of watching movies, reading books, or doing anything to pass the time until he could work out with the rest of us again, he punched the air for 8 hours a day. He literally sat on his bed and punched the air all day long to burn calories. I’m sure that was boring, monotonous, and lonely but the result was that he lost 12 pounds that weigh in. He chose his reaction to the unforeseen turn of events and worked his way around it.
The bottom line is that life throws change at us and accidents happen. That’s life, and if we ever expect that to be different than we’ll be unhappy forever. But if we can learn healthy ways to react to change, then it’s a heck of a lot easier to soak in the most knowledge and growth from any experience. Remember that in the end everything is okay. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.
So that’s the reason you haven’t heard from me lately, but I am happy to report that the soreness from rolling in a car is starting to go away and I am doing great. You can’t get rid of me for too long! =) Drive safe out there, my friends!
XOXO
SARAH
