The Crash in the Mexican Jungle
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