Gratitude for a hit-and-run accident? · Grow with Gratitude Community

Gratitude for a hit-and-run accident?

I was involved in a hit-and-run accident with what I assume to be an illegal immigrant.

***This is NOT meant to be a political post. These are just facts that happened to me that I am trying to process in my own personal emotional experience as I go through this 30-day gratitude challenge.

The left lane was shut down due to construction and so I started to merge into the right lane. I had already merged in front of a sedan when suddenly appeared a small beat-up box truck driving on the shoulder next to me. I looked at the driver straight in the eyes as he yelled at me with angry hand gestures, I guess he wanted me to let him in. I didn't. There was nowhere for me to go since the left lane was closed. Then SMASH! My back window shattered as the front of the box truck struck me on the right rear, exploding glass all over my car.

He got off at that exit in a hurry, so I quickly exited and followed him, thinking we were going to pull over. He didn't. So I followed him as he swerved in and out of traffic, on and off the freeway a couple times. Finally I was able to pull up alongside him with my window down. I yelled over the road noise, "Pull over! You hit me, we need to exchange information!" He threw me more angry hand gestures. So I repeated "Pull over!" He called back, "No English." So I yelled back, "Insurance!" And he darted back off the freeway. I followed him for another couple miles while I took pictures of the license plate and his face, called the police, etc. I've been in many accidents before, even a couple other hit-and-runs, no big deal. But this made me really upset because of the way this person treated me – angrily yelling at me with inappropriate hand gestures before and after he struck my car. As if I'm a terrible person for not letting him in.

"Where do I not want to be grateful and how can I bring appreciation to that area..." (Israel, 75).

You might be thinking, "Why be grateful for such a crappy experience?" Well... I'm taking this challenge seriously. I want to understand John's journey by bringing gratitude even to the painful things that make me upset, angry, resentful.

So I tried to write a "peace card" (from the "Peace Card" chapter on pg. 74) to the driver who hit me. I couldn't. I was too upset. I tried to write another thank you card to somebody else, but I found that I couldn't do that either. So unfortunately, I missed a day of the 30-day gratitude challenge.

So my question is... How do you get those painful emotions out of the way so you can begin healing and bring gratitude there? I want to transform my emotional experience on this planet by changing my relationship to gratitude, just like John did in his "year of thank you." I'm tired of being angry, upset, scared. Aren't you?

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