Floral Crop Top: Aeropostale.
Burgandy Circle Skirt: c/o OASAP.
Kimono, Floppy Hat, Loafers: Thrifted.
Lipstick in MAC's Please Me.
Hello all ♥
For awhile now I've been thinking about how perhaps how my writing has been kind of stagnant lately because I've been lacking new experiences. I wrote a lot in high school about struggles with not having friends, my OCD, my depression, and wanting to get away from hometown. Then before college I had a huge breakup that shaped me a lot, and then of course moving away to college is a huge life changer. In all of these moments in my life, my writing has been really strong. It's come easily and I could write things I was proud of and that truly expressed my emotions. I'd say this past year through my sophomore year of college and this summer I've been kind of at a dry place in my writing because I'm not experiencing anything new to really be moved enough to write passionately. It somewhat bothers me, but not a ton because I know that studying abroad will be the biggest life changer thus far in my life; I'm sure I'll probably have too much to write about.
But something actually happened unexpectedly last night that caught me off guard and was one of those life changing moments I guess. I never thought just living and enjoying summer in my hometown would bring one about a random, somewhat uncommon, experience that I never thought I'd have.
My mother loves Mcdonald's unsweetened ice teas. She's gotten four a day (before work, lunch break, coming home, and evening) for probably the past thirty years. I can't remember a time when we don't go to Mcdonald's, and it sounds silly, but it's a weird bonding experience for my mom and I. I'll go with her every night around 10:30 or so and we'll talk and chat about that day while she gets her tea. Last night I went with her like I have hundreds, perhaps even a thousands times, but in all those 3 minute trips down to Mcdonald's we've never witnessed an accident.
We were sitting at the bottom of a hill waiting to turn when a motorcycle came fastily around the bend and tried going up the hill. We could immediately see that it wasn't going to make it, and they almost hit us as we kind of braced ourselves, but it ended up toppling over and both riders were thrown off the vehicle. In absolute terror and not knowing what to do, fearing they were dead, we drove away and then called 911. As we drove back, one of the guys was up and trying to get the motorcycle to start, the other sitting in the woods with his head in his hands, no moving. I asked them if they were okay, and the one moving said yes, so we told them we had called 911 anyways to come help. It wasn't until we had turned around and glanced back we saw the moving man trying to throw a case of beer into the woods and falling down in trying to do so.
They were drunk.
In that moment my stomach dropped as the realization hit me that these two guys could have killed us if we had been a few seconds earlier. They could have killed themselves. They could have killed someone along the way after trying to get up from their accident and flee the scene. All because they had decided to drink and drive home that night. I became so livid and sick feeling inside, to realize that this stuff really happens. That people drive drunk and they threaten the lives of others just because they don't want to be responsible.
The 911 operator that was still on the line heard me exclaim with disbelief that they were drunk, and she transferred me over to the police station where I reported everything that had happened. My mom and I waited around and the guys threw the motorcycle in the ditch and tried getting away before the police got there in order not to be caught, but they were badly injured and too drunk too hardly walk. I got a call later from the police saying they got them and I was so relieved...I didn't want to think about if they hadn't caught these guys that they wouldn't have been persecuted and been punished for their actions.
It sounds maybe dumb to you all that this would be one of those moments that changes the way you think about things, but it was just like anything that has ever happened to me. I can't explain how I feel that I could have been hit, injured, and possibly killed because of these two guys and their actions. It makes me livid about drunk drivers, absolutely livid. Almost to the point where I'm not sure anymore whether I want to have a drink on my 21st birthday because I'm just so disgusted by this substance that people abuse.
I don't know. It was just one of those moments that you never expect to come, but kind of changes you forever. Scary how that can happen.
With much love, Lauren.
