(Note: I currently have a clean driving record) I went to the gas station last week. A guy pulls right out in front of me in the parking lot and I couldn't stop in time, so boom. That man didn't a bit more look at me when he was driving than the man in the moon, i said to the police officer who seemed to be pinning it all on me. Anyway I don't know what I said, but the cop I feared was going to take me to jail and me sober! He said, Now wait a minute we are not arguing here do you hear me? I said, Yes, Sir! I'm sorry. I just kept a questioning rant on and finally I went compliantly on my way. Da*n,all I need is to get locked up sober... Wouldn't that be a hoot? The next day, I was checking my roadside mailbox, just to fall out of my Jeep and watch it roll off into a telephone poll and total it (finish it off.) I reported these accidents to my insurance company like a tuck tailed dog in fear of reprimand. So I got the rental car, thru my insurance from a local guy who has known my family all my life and I have rented from numerous times for vacations etc. I was sick with bronchitis last week too, so I told my 17 yr. old daughter that she could drive the rental car to take her girlfriend home a mile and 1/2 away. My daughter has full coverage insurance,and a clean driving record, but she was ran out of the road on the way and wrecked the rental car. I am at this point almost crazy almost hysterical in emotion ran riot. I went to the scene and took my insurance card and managed all the details. I reported the accident and then I called the rental car guy about the accident. The auto rental acquaintance went off on me! To the point of almost abuse. All I could think of was breaking contract. I didn't realise I'd signed a contract saying no one under 21 is allowed to drive it! My insurance is still covering it, except for the deductible but man I have gone from freak out... to managing the situation... to lashing out at everyone and everything around me...all the while trying to maintain my sobriety. Has anyone else had problems with getting into scrapes such as I? Or manage scapes like this about as poorly and self-loathing as I do? I need advice on this one. Bodily shake my way thru it, and go on? Suggestions?
No one is permanetly injured right? No one was killed right? You did not drink right?
Things can be replaced, Things can be repaired. This too shall pass, my mother used to always believe that things happen in groups of three. I don't know but sounds like in your case it was true. Life sometimes has some real crappy occurances. What we do about them is our choice. We can't change people, places or things but we can change our reaction to people, places and things.
A couple of years ago I was driving my wife's mini van with my teenage grandson as a passenger. We were driving on a rural two lane road at 55 MPH. A lady in a Jeep was stopped at a mailbox on the right side. Just as I got near her she turned left right across my path. I had an instant decision. If I hit her it would have been in her driver door and probably killed her. I opted for veering left hitting her a glancing blow on the front fender but sending my grandson and I into a parked car on the left demolishing the van and the parked car. No one was hurt in the accident but I was held liable because I veered left across the double line. Had I hit her I would not have been held at fault but she would probably been dead. This too passed and no permanent harm was done.
Larry, -------------------- Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt in your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that order.
I was LoLing all the way through, not at you, with you, yes, I would suspect we have all had weeks/months like this, I did myself recently
crash car crash car again crash rental car
Share this at a meeting and watch the responses
I would say this falls under the category of "normal" sometimes
the end of last year, it was car trouble for me not car crashes but same pattern, bad to worse to couldn't any worse to surprise suprise getting worse and ended with my car just dying after breaking down repeatedly and me dumping money in it after many years of faithful service then me commuting 2 hours a direction in sub freezing weather icy roads thunder storms in rush hour traffic on my motorcycle, driving along at 70 then squalls hitting and literally going to zero visibility and trying to pull off the freeway and not being able to even see the exits driving 5 mph on my motorcycle with cars not letting me even get off the freeway or letting me over even with my turn signals blinking, passing me on the right at 70 as I tried desperately to get off the freeway because I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face....
so having to buy a new car in order to work, so I found a car a guy agreed to allow me to make payments, we set up a schedule, got witnesses, shook hands, within 3 days he was calling me 10 times a day screaming for his money and then having my landlord drive ny, see my new car in the driveway, so he started beating on my door every day screaming at me about his rent $$$ and when I tried to explain I HAD to buy a car in order to get him his $$$ him screaming in my face that wasn't his concern or problem.....even to the point of him showing up at my house 2 weeks before rent was due beating on my door and screaming about next months rent even though I was all caught up on my rent and had been paying my rent during that time I had just been late and making payments to both him and my car...
It all eventually passed but it was maybe 3 of the worst months of my life with a trap door bottom that kept going from bad to worse, there were weeks I didn't even eat for days on end because I was giving all of my money to pay for the car and my rent, literally every penny
It was a nightmare
It Passed
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Build a man a fire and he will be warm for a night, light a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life
Yes, the price we pay for living. Better than the alternative. Sometimes life throws us a bunch of sh*t. If we let it go of it... it passes. If we hold on to it- it starts to really stink... In other words: When the sh*t hits the fan.. it's our choice whether we turn it on or not.
The positive side of this- a few questions... - you have a license to drive? - you have a car? - you have $ to put gas in the car? - you have insurance? - a clean record prior to this? - etc.... you see where I going with this.
How we react to life circumstances can either be positive or negative. Even if it's a negative event in our mind, there's always a flip side. Just trying to put a positive spin on it for you.
No one was injured, except for a few small scapes and minor cuts. I am thankful for that. I did not drink over it, but it crossed my mind.
Someone on here mentioned (I think it was Toad) Emotional Sobriety,hmmm. I sure could use some but how old does one have to get? lol I thought for awhile there maybe even a shot of thorazine might be in order.
My husband has never been any help in matters such as these,either. He seems to always question me. What I did ? etc. When he mentioned I might get sued by the rental place, or charged with ins.fraud...I took that on just like a terrified fish gulping quick bait.
I don't know where that old saying came from, that you mentioned about things coming in three's, but I've heard it too. It seems to be the case this time.
Thank you, I will get thru this, as you said, It will pass.
You did the right thing in not hitting that woman broadside, but yet, had to pay just the same. I am also glad your grandson or no one else was hurt,either.
What a good example that was.
Life can be very crappy at times...I just need to learn how to manage it better. Maybe, if I stay sober longer than 2 to 3 yrs. at a pop...I'll learn better ways of handling life's crappy times.
I appreciate you for sharing your story. I feel much better now.
Thank you AGO. I've had other times in my life where I paid out everything I made to bills, and catch ups for weeks. I remember those times,too. Work,work,work. No phone,no cable, and little food. Just pay out the a$$.
You had one heck of a time on that freeway to have lived thru it, lol, terrible though.
How did you keep from getting resentful toward the auto guy or the landlord? Right there, that would have given me good reason to start plotting my vengence discreetly, or develop one big resentment at them,lol.
I wonder why it seems such things as these seem to always come at some of the weakest moments? Who knows, maybe I needed a good reminder.
A refresher course in living life, as much as it sux sometimes.
Maybe, I needed to remind you too,lol.
Thanks, and I will bring it up at the next meeting...just now getting up the nerve to do it.
Yes, the price we pay for living. Better than the alternative. Sometimes life throws us a bunch of sh*t. If we let it go of it... it passes. If we hold on to it- it starts to really stink... In other words: When the sh*t hits the fan.. it's our choice whether we turn it on or not.
The positive side of this- a few questions... - you have a license to drive? - you have a car? - you have $ to put gas in the car? - you have insurance? - a clean record prior to this? - etc.... you see where I going with this.
How we react to life circumstances can either be positive or negative. Even if it's a negative event in our mind, there's always a flip side. Just trying to put a positive spin on it for you.
Thank you for posting back on this one.
Since you mentioned it: I think I'll go make a list of the pro's and con's...positive spin on it too. I have to ask you though, How would you like to be my insurance man?
Still sick with it after all these yrs. LOL!
Thanx, J
-- Edited by janet on Thursday 13th of May 2010 01:41:09 PM
Wow Janet...shoulda stayed in the closet with a flashlight and a dime novel rather than creep out into the sunlight. I stay at arms length from people who have "crap" magnets.
Creepy that it happened to you. For me stuff like this after I got in program made me slow way the hell down and take small slow steps looking left and right and behind me and all around. I'm a "what's my part in it?" inventory fellow. Sometimes the answer is I'm rushing and not paying attention. Whatever the answer I gotta own the consequence and the solution for me.
4 days ago when I returned home from a job there were fire engines and wreckers and all kinds of people crowded around my property and a cop at my front door writing a form out and trying to put it on my front door while my two small pups were wanting to get thru the screen and at his knees. I pulled into my drive and surveyed the scene and there was a 24+foot boat in the lot across my home half on and off a mangled trailer with the ground all dug up and stuff. Long story short the boat had come off the back bumper of this guys truck who just happened to be the brother in law of my neighbor and who owned the lot. The boat passed him coming down the hill and took out five mail boxes and jambed between a telephone pole and it's guidewires which tripped the trailer axels and stopped the whole mess from doing some serious damage. I was speaking with the drivers wife and him and we inventoried the event. The boat came off his truck and passed him in the left oncoming lane. There was no one coming up at that time. The trailer punched itself between a pole and guide wires and wedged itself to a stop as the trailer tongue dug into the ground helping out. The whole affair did not jack knife his truck and throw him off the right side of the road over a 8 foot drop off. To his amazement just as the boat came to a stop he surveyed it and turned around to find a dozen men ready to help him out. "God news travels fast in this neighborhood" yes it does and being in Hawaii has a lot to do with it.
He was wearing a protective leg sock on his right leg and I asked him about it. Almost 2 years ago fishing at sea by himself on the same boat he was boating a large tuna the back fin of which knicked his right leg. He thought nothing of it and didn't know he had just then contracted a guaranteed to kill fleshing eating infection. To stop it the docs almost took his leg off but instead did preventive surgery and shipped him off to a larger hospital on another island...2 days in a coma and then 4 more induced while they worked to save his life. The scars were horrendous!! So here he was just getting ready to put the boat back into the sea and it is now worthless.
I asked him if he wasn't grateful to still be alive...nodded yes. "Maybe God wants you to stay out of the boat and ocean for a while...you think?" he nodded yes.
5 trashed mail boxes dug up and discarded and 5 new ones constructed in their place...just under $600.00. He's gonna need a large trash can for the boat and then his wife and I suggested it might make a great planter. LOL
It's over...let it go...know your part. Trust God...clean house...help others.
Janet, welcome to Life on Life's terms. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it sucks. Little decisions we make every day change the course of our lives, for a time, at the very least. Accidents happen. But pleeeeeease don't ever piss off a police officer. Just not a prudent thing to do. If something is not handled correctly by the officer, there is always court. And if your insurance company suspects for one minute that someone else is at fault (first accident), THEY will handle the court ordeal, to get their money back. And you always sign something at a car rental place saying that only you will drive the car (or add others). I am not nagging, nor blaming you for this string of crappy luck. And I have learned from some of these same mistakes (letting another person drive my rental, and yelling at a cop... I have BEEN THERE too....)
You are sober. You were not drunk driving. You have insurance. Your daughter has insurance. Look at the positives in this, as well as the negatives.
My day was a little sucky too, especially financially. I have had 3 crowns replaced about a month ago which cost $4,000. I got my teeth cleaned last week, and x-rays ($160). I have a cavity. I went in to get it filled today, and guess what? They can't fill it. I MIGHT need a root canal, and another crown, they won't know until they starts drilling. ($2,500 all told?????) I do NOT have the money, and I do not have dental insurance!! And I can't let my teeth rot out of my head, nor ignore or get this one pulled, it is in the front of my mouth!!! I should have bought dental insurance before I decided to go back (hadn't been there in 5 years! dumb.)
So what I did (I was in tears.... going through divorce, grandmother died last night, BROKE, stressed out to the max....) I told the dentist I was not aware that this was going to cost so much, and to NOT proceed with anything today. I need some TIME to breath, before I address today's problems. I need to step back and look at why I am so pissed off. It is not the dentist's fault. It is not my non-existence dental insurance company's fault (because I don't have one!! LOL) It is my fault, because I wait til the last minute with crap like this. I know what I need to do to take care of myself. But for me, I was busy buying crap for the house that I just moved out of due to the divorce, and I "couldn't afford" to spend that money getting a cleaning and a filling here and there for the past 5 years. DUMB.
But you know what? This lesson HURTS enough that I am doubtful I will ever make it again. Doubtful. I learn things the hard way sometimes. It's who I am. It's what we are. Human beings. And at least we're not alone in this.
Hope your string of crappy luck is over. Let the insurance company do what they are paid to do. Paperwork and checks. You find for yourself some serenity, anywhere you can find it. Maybe at a meeting?
Love and hugs, and understanding, Joni
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~Your Higher Power has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
