I never thought that getting hit by a car would be the best thing that ever happened to me. But life has a way of surprising us in the most unexpected ways.
It was a cold November morning when it happened. I was rushing to work, my mind occupied with the stress of an overdue project and an impending breakup I didn’t want to face. The street was unusually busy, and in my distraction, I barely noticed the car speeding towards me until it was too late.
The impact wasn’t as dramatic as the movies make it seem. I didn’t go flying through the air in slow motion. Instead, there was a sudden, sharp pain, and then darkness.
When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed, my head wrapped in bandages, my leg encased in a cast. A nurse hovered nearby, and my parents, who I hadn’t seen in months, sat in the corner looking worried. I had suffered a mild concussion and a fractured leg, but miraculously, I had survived.
The driver, a woman named Claire, had been distraught. She visited me in the hospital every day, apologizing profusely, offering to pay for anything I needed. I assured her it wasn’t her fault—I had stepped into the road without looking. Despite the circumstances of our meeting, Claire and I struck up an unexpected friendship. She was warm, funny, and refreshingly honest. As I spent weeks in recovery, our conversations became the highlight of my days.
Being forced to slow down and take stock of my life changed everything. I realized that I had been running on autopilot, stuck in a job I didn’t love, in a relationship that had long lost its spark. Lying in that hospital bed, I had time to think—really think—about what I wanted. And the answers were different from what I had been telling myself for years.
I quit my job. It was terrifying at first, but also liberating. I had always dreamed of becoming a writer, but I had never taken the leap. Now, with a new perspective on life, I finally had the courage to chase my passion.
As for my relationship, I ended things with my boyfriend, and surprisingly, he was just as relieved as I was. We had been holding onto something out of convenience, not love.
And then there was Claire. She didn’t just hit me with her car—she hit me with the realization that life is too short to settle. Over time, our friendship deepened into something more. By the time I had fully healed, we were inseparable. It turned out that the accident that should have been my worst day led me to the best days of my life.
So yes, getting hit by a car was the best thing that ever happened to me. Because it forced me to stop, reevaluate, and finally start living the life I was meant to have.
