Today we follow-up with another post from Laurence Newman...he has written a book, he is a regular writer at Helium.com and clearly, if you read his first post, no stranger to "second comings".  

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In April of 2006 I stared death in the face.

I left the chaos of a busy airport behind me. Night had fallen. Darkness coupled with rain made the road ahead difficult.

There were six parallel lanes of traffic on the freeway.

Suddenly a vast, mobile trailer ahead of me veered from the extreme left into a right lane. I lowered my speed and was alert. It leapt upwards to the left and hit an embankment. Then it lurched sickeningly across three lanes of traffic and smashed down onto the tarmac in front of me. It had slipped in oil.

I halted my car and stared in disbelief at the surreal scene ahead.

Within seconds an almighty crash saw me airborne as a blue vehicle smashed into me from behind.

A primordial shriek emanated from deep within me. As my car nosedived it seemed that I was watching everything from somewhere above. All was in slow motion.  

As I landed back on the ground the car careened towards the overturned truck. I managed to turn the wheel sharply to the left. The foot break and clutch were jammed. I sped towards a solid wall of concrete ahead.

Was this my last glimpse of life?

Turning the wheel had broken the impact and by some miracle my, vehicle ground to a halt beyond the yellow line.

Attempting to open the driver's door, I was frightened as it would not budge. My feet were wedged between the pedals, my shoes mangled. The floor had buckled on impact.

I was numb with shock and disbelief. My body was heavy and I felt dreamlike and inert.
It was with a gargantuan effort that I dragged myself across to the passenger seat and wriggled out of the concertinaed wreck.

I crawled onto the highway in the pouring rain. Icy water cascaded over my body bringing me back to reality as all hell broke loose around me.

Seven cars smashed one into the other as they swerved in every direction to avoid hitting the overturned pantechnicon and the remains of my Ford Laser. Some rolled into oncoming traffic causing mayhem.

Deafening screeches, the acrid smell of burning tyres as they bit the tarmac in a fruitless effort to stop and the tinkling of shattered glass together with the screams of frantic car occupants turned the area into a nightmare zone.

I felt nauseous and stood in agony rocking myself to and fro in the night rain. I leaned as far back against the embankment as I could to avoid flying debris and felt as if I would pass out.

Those images will forever remain graphically etched into my mind.

In the weeks that followed as I recovered and came to terms with what had happened, I realized that I had been very lucky that night. Some had lost their limbs and others their lives.

Apart from pain and shock and slight damage to my foot, I was whole and alive.
Shaken and with my mind working overtime, I knew that I had been given a second chance at life.

Nothing prepared me for the changes I was to make in the year that followed. I reorganized my life and began to live every day as if it were my last.

It was as if I did not want to lose a precious moment in time.

An entirely new approach to life made me give up a well paying but thankless job in a mercenary environment.

I sold my large, five roomed home in the suburbs and moved into a small cottage. When the insurance payout for the car arrived, I did not upgrade preferring to drive the thirty year old car I had purchased soon after the accident.

One by one I abandoned all the sterile relationships I had been carrying for years out of a sense of assumed responsibility or habit. I concentrated on spending more time with my family. I shunned invitations to superficial gatherings especially those that had no meaning for me.

Fair-weather friends were placed firmly in the background. I preferred to spend quality time with people who meant something to me. I put in great effort to nurture and help those around me both by means of material and moral support.

I ate only food I enjoyed, watched only movies that I really wanted to. I became selfish and did less to please or cajole others.

I allowed myself downtime and rewarded myself with treats when I achieved my goals.

I relaxed and slept whenever my body required me to.

When a situation arose that did not please me I bowed out. I avoided conflict. No longer anxious about my image or keeping up appearances, dieting and designer outfits disappeared off my agenda.

Places that have always caught my fancy now feature on my travel wish list.

I live a less complicated life, with less people and possessions. It is an uncluttered existence.

I am still occupied with making sense of this world and enjoying the senses I have been given. I take time out to marvel at the beauty of nature and the wonder of the world.

I do not hanker after that which I do not have but rather appreciate everything more.

I am now more interested in the past and the future, curious about everything more than ever and happy to enjoy simple day to day events. I commune with my cat for long periods and have learnt to distinguish the nuances of meaning in his gurgles and meows.

Trying to leave footprints behind me has meant I have taken up writing as a hobby.

Getting older and finding that my medical conditions are deteriorating does not cause me the concern that it used to: I have been given a second chance at life. This is bonus time. I am conscious that whatever comes my way, even if it is illness or age, has afforded me the privilege of being able to experience life under those conditions.

After all, I had faced death and survived. With that firmly behind me I can surely face anything now.