Appreciating the little things, slowing down

by Melissa Lau
Features Editor

Red, screech, swerve, jolt. Pulse. I am ever thankful for that last word. Pulse.

The end of the semester brings the beginning of the head-spinning rush to finish assignments and projects. And the same was true for me too, until last week.

Driving to school last Thursday, I came close to getting into a car accident. I was driving straight while a red car traveling in the opposite direction attempted to make a left turn. In doing so, the car stopped in part of my lane. I slammed my foot on the brakes and did not realize how hard the impact was going to be until I heard the shrills of the tires. Out of instinct, I swerved to the left to avoid hitting the car. I do not remember turning the wheel back to the right to straighten my car out. But somehow the car was straight.

Shocked and in pure awe that I had not collided with the other car, the car had not run into me and I had not hit the island that separated traffic. There I sat, uninjured. Completely.

It was more than coincidence that the area I had swerved into was a left-turn pocket, and not lanes for oncoming traffic. For me there is no other way to explain the outcome of this situation other than someone or some things were watching over me. It could have been angels or spirits or something higher. I know it was more remarkable than anything here on earth.

And it was not until one of my friends shared an experience similar to mine, that I realized what I had overlooked entirely.

Life.

I was so grateful, amazed and confused at what had guided my car to take the path it did, that I overlooked the possibility that I might not have made it to school that day. I could have spent the day in a hospital with broken legs at the very least.

Then to remember the sound of the brakes and my car aiming straight for the passenger door of the other carWhat if there was a passenger in that seat? The more-than-horrifying thought that there might have been one less person living today is something I do not like to face.

It got me thinking. Maybe I need to slow my life down and appreciate it a little more. Maybe I need to stop taking on so many tasks, and enjoy the few things I can do instead of finishing a million tasks for the pure sake of getting them done.

I just think that it is appropriate to write about this subject now considering that many of us, faculty and students, are in such a rush around finals week to finish whatever we need to. Whether it is grocery shopping or math homework, whether it is getting home on time to watch "Friends" or finding the time to eat, we need to remember to slow down.

Last Thursday reminded me of a saying so cliché, that its meaning has sadly become a mere repetition of words: 'there are more important things in life.'

And as corny as it sounds, it is so true. Earlier that morning I was worried about petty, superficial things. What happened that day brought me back down to earth.

I hope whoever chooses to read this column will remember its purpose when they are running late for a concert or stressing about finals. Try your best, but remember to keep your sanity.

Most of us expect to live until we are old and gray. Life is fragile. Don't waste your time worrying about the future and the list of things to do, because the unexpected is always out there.

And to those who listened, hugged and put a hand on my shoulder that day, I appreciate and love all of you greatly.

Melissa Lau, a sophomore journalism and theater major, is features editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at bitterinque@yahoo.com.