Recently I experienced something I have heard about but never thought would happen to me. For the most part, I consider myself to be a pretty responsible teenager. I don't go out of my way to cause trouble or purposefully act rebellious. However, as I was practicing driving I accelerated and hit the two parked cars in front of me. What I thought was the right pedal happened to lead me in a direction I was not prepared for. I hit the gas, not the brake.
Has this ever happened in your life? Not necessarily pertaining to the action of hitting a physical vehicle. Have you ever felt drawn to doing something and given in to it without a second thought? Have you pressed the gas on a choice only to realize the outcome wasn't nearly what you imagined it would be?
I have noticed people in my age group often are so easy to convince of certain things. Most people I know are down for anything as long as it sounds like a good time. This can lead to a dramatic downfall though. We don't think about how our actions could impact others. If I hit the gas, how could I hurt those around me?
I asked some of my friends if they have ever acted before thinking. Here were some of my favorite responses:
Angelina Casale:
"I said something to my sister before that I didn't really mean and it ended up making her mad at me for a few days. I mean we got over it but she wasn't the happiest with me"
Madelyn Portz:
"In 8th grade, I jumped over a tennis net and broke my arm." Classic example that actions have consequences.
Melissa Keane:
"Once at pole vault, I asked someone who didn't know what they were doing to spot me. They ended up doing it wrong and I landed my face on the dirt next to the mat. That was very painful and I didn't hurt myself but I was out for the rest of practice and my coach was concerned for my safety."
Catherine Durham:
"Last week I went to the library without checking the weather. By the time I left it was raining outside!" If I would have thought to check the weather I could have brought an umbrella. This would have prevented me from having to walk home in the pouring rain."
Claire Durham:
"I speak before I think a lot."
Emory Winter:
"Ok yes I definitely have acted before thinking and I believe a lot of times its either made me feel bad and also hurt others around me. Sometimes you don't realize how someone will feel about what you say but it can really hurt others even more than you ever could have thought."
Vicky Presas
"Once I was at a fair with some of my friends and we were hungry so we decided to eat. Once we finished eating some of my friends wanted to go on a ride because it was going to close, but I hadn't digested my food yet. Without thinking too much about it we decided to go on the ride. The outcome hurt my friends and I when we ended up vomiting and our stomach's hurt for the rest of the day."
Anonymous:
There was one outlier. This person went along with the question in a different way. They wrote, “I often worry about what other people think.” I think we have all been there. Whether we know it or not it's not impossible to mistake the brake for the gas. Going along with something only thinking about how others will react. This can be as dangerous as not thinking enough. It holds us back. Life is about finding the balance between a speed limit that is safe yet will get you to your desired destination on time. If we are constantly worrying about how others will think of us we may avoid accidents but in the end we won't learn anything.
As we get more used to our environments I believe we get comfortable. Right when we begin to feel a little too secure in where we are in life I believe that's where bad decisions can begin to present themselves. Whether the choices we make are an accident or not we are in charge of our actions which although its a blessing can also be seen as a curse.
The people I had these conversations with all had one thing in common. They regretted their decisions just because the outcome hurt somebody. Whether it was themselves or another that was the recurring theme. It made me wonder: If you would have gotten away with it would you have regretted it as much?
Proverbs 13:16 states, "Wise people think before they act; fools don't." We are constantly being told this one way or another. I truly don't think this sinks in until you experience it. If you would have told me this before my previous incident I would have agreed with the bible verse but I am not sure if I would 100% understand it. We learn through living and that's what makes life so beautiful.
Our natural original sin has a tendency to get in the way of our success. We are constantly regretful of actions or days we wish we could take back. I keep replaying when I hit the two cars in my head. To say the least I am traumatized. However, it's these moments in which we wish we had a time machine that we could do it all over again. I don't regret this night though. I learned many lessons in which I could write about days on end. (coming soon?)
We are going to mess up more times than we probably wish to. 30 years from now you are not going to remember all the things you are regretting now. What you will remember is how you have decided to preserve and take away from one point of your life.
Today I drove for the first time since last weekend. When I got in the car I could feel my heart beating swiftly. Although I was very choppy at the beginning I took the first step into improving. This time I know I will think a bit more before I get in the driver's seat. We are in the driver's seat of our lives and we have the power to impact others around us. Make mistakes, learn from them, and realize you might mistake the gas from the brake every now and then. How are you going to move forward from this? I know I will never roll my eyes when my mom yells at me to watch my speed again. Even though it cost a lot of money to learn this...I am really thankful for how it all turned out. I have parents that are willing to let me make mistakes. I met strangers who were kind in their own ways. It all worked out in the end.
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