 Patty Loves The A Team On Friday, July 9th, I was headed east on Hwy 10 toward Palm Desert and a visit to my step mom’s house. Dede is in her 90’s and a tribute to womanhood, so I was eager to see her that morning. I had stopped at Jensen’s Market for a donut and coffee (must haves for traveling), and I also had a 32 oz. bottle of AquaFina with me. Trust me, those details do become important.
The trip off the mountain and onto the I 10 were uneventful. There wasn’t much traffic, and, as is my wont, I like to do mental work while I’m driving. I’d been working on weight loss that morning, and I’d been able through deep thought to arrive at a place of peace and recognition about the truth of my Being.
I find that it’s entirely possible to focus my thinking AND drive. One doesn’t detract from the other. The guy in front of me seemed to be poking along, so I decided to pass him. I accelerated into the next right lane. While in that sacred sense of mind (remember the peace and recognition of the truth,) my car began to fishtail. I live where knowing how to drive in the snow is important, so I steered into the direction of the curve, and zip! nada! nothing! It just kept fishtailing. I remember thinking to myself “Why in heaven’s name isn’t the car correcting itself?” And that’s when the car, my dear friend the Chevy Trailblazer SS, began to roll over.
It happened slow-mo. I thought “Oh, wow! The car is rolling over. Again. And again!” I had no sense of fear at all. And then, my dear Chevy (um, his name was Jack Black) landed on all four wheels facing the opposite direction I’d been headed. I was aware that I was covered in glass and the side airbags had detonated. But I was still at peace and thought “A cop will be by soon.”
So, I just sat there and waited for him. He was a Highway Patrol officer. He spoke to me at my window (mostly busted out) and then he went around to the other side of the car and asked me questions like “What year is it? What’s your name? How many fingers am I holding up? Are you conscious?” Am I conscious! WTF!!! He said the firemen and paramedics would be along in a few minutes, so I used the electronics in the seat to recline the back and lay down. It just felt like the thing to do.
I believe that my state of mind right before the accident is what carried me through it so that I could even be here to tell you about it today. I believe it’s the mind that governs and my mind plus that tank of a Chevy saved my life that day.
I was taken to Desert Regional Trauma Hospital where I spent twelve long hours. This is where I met the neatest male nurse who understood his presence along with a bed pan caused stage fright. Remember that coffee and the 32 ounces of water I’d left the mountain? It was ready, and ready, and ready!
I will take up this story at this point the next time there’s a drizzly, rainy day like today, and tell you how my thinking helped me get through this ordeal. But one parting gift.
I learned a lot through this experience. I learned that I need to drive more slowly and I now do. I learned that I had diabetes and I’ve since then lost 40 pounds with more to go. And I learned how many people love me. Nice lessons, eh?
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