I had a car accident the other day with my sister. I was the passenger.

No one freak out! No one was badly injured or killed. My sister was fine. I was fine. It was the moment of the wreck that spurred me.

I had never been in an accident like that. It was a different moment for me. I thought I might write about it to get it out of my head.

Whenever something happens to you like that, you want to forget it. Because trust me, it's scary on any occasion, no matter how big or small the accident was.

First, the story.

My sister and I are turning into the left lane. We stop, and another car waves us on. We look and wait until cars pass, but one person was not visible. As we turn in, the car rams into the back passenger side of us. I am screaming the whole time, of course. That's about the only thing I do in bad situations. The car spins once and lands in the parking lot of Starbucks, thankfully away from traffic and out of the way period.

We pry open my door, everyone gets out, and we sit on the curb. Everyone's shaken up, of course.

My sister and others are talking to the police. I'm sitting on the concrete still. And what else do you do sitting there in a bad situation than pray and think of all the ways it could've been worse?

If my sister hadn't been pulled in as far as she was, it would've hit the front passenger side. I would most likely be dead and my sister seriously injured.

Or we could've gotten hit from the front and been stuck in traffic, in which we might get hit more.

Or we could've flipped over if it hit just right.

It could've been much worse.

It could've been better, but there's no point in thinking about that.

And the more I thought about it, the more I thought about how the wreck would affect me. I was aware now that anything could happen. Just because it usually doesn't happen doesn't mean it won't.

And I thought about it; I had never even felt the crash it had gone by so fast. I had always had dreams and ideas of wrecks. I imagined you would feel the whiplash, the airbag, your knees, your shoulder, and just the whole thing. I imagined a whole overdramatic and extremely painful routine. But it was all sped through so fast and I'm also very thankful for that.

And I know you hear it all the time as an exaggeration, but it felt just like a dream. You weren't aware of anything until you got out of the car. It was almost like I could see two paths; one was us barely making it into the parking lot, the other was us.... well, you know.

And the wreck made me change my idea of reality. It sounds stupid, but now I know more of what to expect. I know what pain in that situation feels like. I've been through something that's not a super big deal, but helps you with some bigger deals.

I won't say I'm lucky to know this; I'm surely not. And thank goodness we were both wearing our seatbelts and airbags worked. And also my glasses didn't break, so I can see.

But in some ways I'm more experienced. I never wanted to be, but now I can use it to my advantage.

And I guess all I'm telling you this for is for advice.

Be cautious of your surroundings. I know you've heard it before, so get it through your head.

Never leave your family or loved ones while in a fight. You never know what could happen. Imagine if you were in a wreck like that, but much worse. And your last words to your family were hateful. Even if you never meant it, it's there. And it sticks.

Appreciate things for what they are. If it's not the worst it could be, celebrate! And enjoy the fact that you're feeling good and are well.

Think about bad situations in your life. Even though you may want to push them back, bring them forward and make something out of them. The more you think about them, the more you discover about them.