Since the title gives you the gist of what happened I’m not gonna waste your time with a super intense re-telling of how a jeep, my skateboard, and I, got real personal with each other. What you need to know is that I got hit by a car, and as a result I sustained injuries to my face, hands, arms and legs that left me unable to walk or use 8/10 fingers for over a week. To give you an image, before they cleaned all the blood off of me, I probably could’ve been used as a decent extra in The Walking Dead.
I spent the last week of March healing at home. I started and finished a couple of TV series’ and explored the hypothesis that there could be such a thing as “too much nap time.”
But no matter what, I couldn’t shake the creeping dread of final assignments and exams. The first thing I asked the paramedics when they carried me into the ambulance was “Is my laptop okay?” Because no matter what physical pain was in store for me in the coming days, it would be nothing compared to the crushing weight of school. I was in the midst of wrapping up my third year and in an instant I lost the ability to write any of my essays or go to any classes. I managed to get extensions on most of my assignments and some professors actually sent me copies of notes which was a big help, but it still wasn’t enough and I wasn’t about to ask someone else to do my work for me.
That’s when I got an email from my program head, a last minute reminder that that day was the final chance to drop a course without affecting my academic standing. I took it as a sign, and dropped the course I was doing the worst in. I knew this wasn’t going to be enough, but it still gave me a bit more room to breathe and think and by the end of the week I had come to a larger decision. I decided that it would be to my benefit to take an additional year at Ryerson. In doing so, I would effectively get a chance to boost my GPA with less stress and also open up the chance for me to continue working at the school I love a bit longer.
So, I armed myself with this new mindset and managed to survive Winter 2017. I got my marks back yesterday and they are neither devastating nor heart-warming, just acceptable. I’m fine with that; it’s May now and this whole thing feels like a speck in my rear-view mirror. Having this distance has let me re-think the event from a more analytical perspective, and I’m lucky to have this platform to share that perspective through.
So here’s the deal, someone HIT ME WITH A GOSH DARN JEEP WRANGLER. But on the flip side, I now have a better idea of what my future holds for me. So, should I feel grateful? No, definitely not, I still got hit by a car. But just because there is nothing good about that moment for me, doesn’t mean I can’t build positivity on top of that experience.
I guess I’m lucky that that car hit me just the right amount. I could’ve sustained life-changing injuries, or missed the car entirely, but this way, I gained an experience that I was able to use as a tool and a personal energy source. I guess that’s what I’ve been trying to get at; you don’t have to always look on the bright side, but you can try and channel your negative energy into building something positive for yourself. I hope this makes sense.
Also just a small note to anyone who reached out to check up on me while I was out of the game: Thank you, you made me happy.
