The Ride

The Ride
It was a beautiful day and definitely not forewarning of the events that would change my life. The warm Las Vegas sun was shining brightly in the blue and cloudless sky. A light breeze cooled the warm air just enough to stop the body from sweating. The breeze was clean and crisp that blew along with the scent of a spring day. The only noise was the roar of the engine as I twisted the throttle and accelerated through the twisted roads near my home. As everything raced by me, I felt a rush of adrenaline, then the fateful turn approached. I had taken the turn a hundred times before but today it would change my life. Around the turn would be my motorcycle accident that would cause me to take life much more seriously.
Before the accident my lifestyle was very fast paced. I spent almost all of my time with my friends going out to parties every night. My life was in control without any abusive habits, it was just fast paced and fun times with friends. Never being at home added to an already stressful family environment. My high school education suffered from too much fun and too little studying. My father made being at home a very uneasy feeling, making me want to stay away even more. He never took any time to help me with school, car or money. I always had to work to earn everything, the only thing I wasn't paying for was rent. In turn I wanted little to do with my father, stepmother or brother, never contributing or helping out. I even stopped going with them on vacations. The feelings I had were that I just wanted to be alone by myself, independent.
For four months after the accident I was unable to do anything that I had previously done in the normal routine of my life. With a full leg and hand cast I spent almost all my time during the four months recovering on the couch in the living room. I finished my junior year of high school at my bedroom desk. During this period I developed a lot of patience from the slow healing process of my bones. I also spent a great deal of time thinking, assessing, and contemplating my life and my future. Some of my thoughts were "What was I doing with my life?", "Where was I headed?", "What was in my future for myself?", "What did I want to do with my life?", "How my family life was affecting me?", and many other personal issues dealing with my personality. While I was contemplating I realized that my life had no focus or direction. After several mentally stressful and depressive months, my life came into focus. After visiting my mom in Sacramento for a week, I realized living with my father was very negative for me. During that week I was totally happy and more than willing to try to help out around the house, even though I still wore a brace on my leg. Being treated differently with love and as a young adult, not a child, made all the difference. It was a very tough decision to move to Sacramento during my Senior year of high school and leave all my friends behind, but I could no longer live with my father.
After moving to Sacramento, to live with my mother, I gained positive direction. Traveling in that same direction I have developed my future and career. Now I have a positive family life, which I have learned to value very much. Also I have slowly developed a better relationship with my father. I often go back to Las Vegas to visit my friends and my family. I still go out with my friends and have a good time. We still have a wild time, but not all of the time. We have all matured and found purpose and balance in our lives. I had no idea this event would dramatically change my life, my future, the way I think, and the events to come into my life. I am not certain that it was for the best or the worst, because I do not know what events would have followed if I did not drive around that turn.
One thing for certain I would not be here in Sacramento, where I have a great life and have developed a promising successful career. I might still be riding through those corners in Las Vegas, living fast and carefree. Perhaps that turn put my life in the right direction. I know now that I have a greater appreciation for life and I have learned what the more important aspects of one's life are. I attribute most of the changes in my attitude and my accomplishments to my mom. She has always been there for me with unconditional love and positive support of me as a person. My accident and the events that followed changed me. I now take life more serious and know that having a family that cares about you and loves you is the most valuable asset one can possess.