Riding on the back of a motorcycle

Tress all around

Mud splashing on my bare feet

A feeling of excitement tingling through my body

 

I was riding through life like I was riding through that jungle

I felt invincible

I was riding through life at high speeds

Recently accepted to UC Berkeley

I was riding through life with no worries

On vacation in Mexico by myself

I was riding through life only looking ahead

Dating THE girl

I was riding through life with my head held high

Expecting not to encounter a speed bump

 

In a heartbeat

In a matter of milliseconds

In between blinks

It all changes

Yet it didn’t

 

My head slams against a tree

My helmet flies off

I get thrown off the motorcycle

 

My vision is blurry

I get up still thinking I am invincible

But I can’t see

I sit down and hear people yelling

Keep your eyes open

KEEP THEM OPEN

My elbow is bleeding

My knee is bleeding

They don’t hurt

Oh and my stupid toe is bleeding

I smile

I feel good

Still invincible

 

Then I get up to walk

All bloody

And muddy

I can’t

My toe hurts

People keep telling me it’s broken

Well hell it’s just a toe

Who cares

 

They take me to a Mexican hospital

My parents are in the US

I’m all alone

They clean my wounds

Then my toe

There’s something white sticking out of my toe

OH SHIT

My toe is dangling

Maybe I’m not invincible

 

The doctor starts talking

In Spanish

I’m waiting for him to say it’s all going to be okay

But he isn’t

He just won’t

I need surgery

WHAT THE FUCK

NO

I might have a bone infection

My toe will never be the same

This is serious

I might not be okay

 

3 nights in the hospital

3 nights of needles in my veins

3 nights of weeping

3 nights of wondering where it all went wrong

3 nights of thinking how I am going to get through this

 

Freshman year of college starts in less than a week

I’m going to start college in crutches and a big boot

Are you fucking kidding me

Talk about bad timing

 

Oh man I’m not going to be able to workout

I’m going to get fat

My girlfriend is going to dump me

I’m barely holding it all together

 

Fast forward 6 weeks

I’m getting my boot taken off

No more crutches

I survived the first weeks of college

I’m still alive

My parents aren’t mad

My girlfriend is still at my side

We are doing better than ever

I actually lost weight

Because of my toe everyone knows me at college

 

Looking back my life didn’t change

But 2016 marked the year

Where my mentality toward life changed

 

The motorcycle was a symbol

A symbol of me running reckless through life

Running carelessly

Running thinking nothing can slow me down

I thought I was invincible

 

An unfortunate crash

An injury on vacation

A wake up call

I am not invincible

I cannot run through walls

 

I realized I must slow down and appreciate what I have

I cannot take my health for granted

I am strong but I am not invincible