Them deceivingly "Normal" Days

Some days start off really NORMAL.

Wake up, get ready for work, leave the house at the usual time.

Park in the same spot, walk in to office and slide into my seat at the usual time.

Eat the bee hoon and drink the tea which I order every morning.
Security in the routine.

Answer emails, clear paperwork, make calls, and prepare for another full normal work day.

Get into my car and head out to the working field, as usual.

And then all of a sudden... BANG.

I heard the bang a split second before I felt it. The sickening crunch of metal hitting metal, then Xiao Bai being thrown forward and I with it, my jamming on the brakes to stop from being pushed further into the center of the busy junction. Turning around to find that a red taxi had slammed into the back of stationary Xiao Bai thinking it was a green arrow.

Heart pounding furiously.

Hands fumbling for my phone.

Short breaths.

Speed-dialing my brother's number to tell him what just happened in a stunned voice that trembled ever-so-slightly.

Then after calming myself down with a few deep long breaths, senses numbed by shock, and forcing myself to focus on the necessary, I step out of the car to deal with....the damage.

My car was pushed from behind the first white line into the yellow box.

The taxi's damage

Heart-pained to see Xiao Bai in this bashed-up condition

Calls, one after the other. Pictures. Tow-truck. Reports. More calls.

It wasn't until afternoon that the shock slowly wore off and I began to be increasingly aware of the pain from hitting my head, the mixture of feelings as after-shock, and the gravity of what had happened.

Reflection.

Some people call it AAR, After-Action-Review.

Hearing Perry's "If I Die Young" on the radio as background music did not help. At all.

How did all my great plans for the day get snatched out my hands just like that? It was just one moment, and suddenly I was no longer in control of what was happening. And why did it have to happen to me and not to the car beside me..or to the car in the opposite lane? Why me??

One of the greatest struggles in life is trying to make sense of circumstances we do not understand.

Then my thoughts turned a little morbid.

what if I hadn't been wearing my seatbelt? Could I have been seriously injured or could my life have been snatched away too, along with everything else?

Who would attend my funeral? What would be said as my eulogy? Have I accomplished anything in my short 21 years on this earth that is considered mention-worthy? I know my family would definitely miss me, but besides them, who else would shed tears if I was gone? Have I touched any other lives in some way or another? Would my friends remember me, or would i just become a fleeting memory in their history? and if they did, what would they remember me for?

Sobering thoughts. And an awesome way of putting things in perspective.

Problems suddenly didn't look so big anymore. It wouldn't really matter how many machines I closed, or how good a grade I got in school, or whether I buy that pretty dress I've been eying when I lie on that wooden bed. Those may be important, but not vital. What would matter is the quality time spent with family and friends, the moments when I went the second mile for others, the words said and things done to make those around me (hopefully) feel better or happier.

I learned three things that day:

1) God's hands are bigger than mine. Even if the situation may be out of my hands or plan, it is still in His. And unless it is His will, He will not let one single hair from my head be harmed, much less me.

2) Never take for granted the "normal" days: they can be taken away in a blink of an eye, and I would far rather have them than not.

3) Try to stay out of the path of blur-looking cab drivers.