It was a dark and stormy night

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, okay, perhaps "stormy" is not the right way to describe it. But it was dark, and it was raining lightly. A cool, wet autumn night. I was driving home from work after a reasonably busy shift of "saving lives and stamping out pestilence", as some of my colleagues and I somewhat jokingly call it. As I drove along the road, in the northbound lane on a straight stretch, I first thought it odd that a southbound vehicle would swerve into my lane ahead of me. I slowed and pulled towards the right, attempting to get out of the path of this oncoming vehicle. But the headlights of the other vehicle seemed to follow me, as the driver continued to drive on a head on collision course towards me. I moved to my left, still trying to avoid an accident, but, like a moth to a flame, the phantom vehicle again turned such that we were on a collision course yet again. At that time, I was aware that an accident was now unavoidable. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, as the red car crashed with a heavy impact into the front end of my vehicle on the passenger corner, crumpling the metal frame like tinfoil, and knocking my car off the opposite side of the road into a ditch.
Airbags deployed. The engine stalled. I unbuckled my seat belt, and I crawled out of the car, and worked my way through a thorn bush to see the damage and check on the other driver. I can see now the other driver is a young blond woman. The front end of her vehicle is scattered all over the road. Her airbags have deployed. Steam and smoke are rising from the engines of both cars. She is sitting in the driver's seat.
"Why the hell did you cross the median?" I asked her as I approached her car.
"Are you saying it was my fault?" was her response.
"Never mind about fault", I replied, "Are you okay?" I notice the smell of alcohol on her breath as I lean towards her to talk to her.
"My face hurts", she says.
By this time, I have reached the emergency services dispatcher and am answering all the questions he asks. Soon, police and emergency medical personnel are on the way. We, both drivers, are walking around at the scene. A few other cars have stopped and pulled off to the side of the road (her car is blocking both lanes of the roadway), but no one from those cars approaches to help. I'm now noticing that my chest is hurting, along with my neck, my right arm, and my knees, but I'm grateful that I appear to have no really serious injury. I make the phone call to my wife to let her know the car is damaged but I seem to be reasonably okay. Then I am transported to the hospital by ambulance.
I am assessed, x-rayed, treated and released.
Jump ahead in time about ten days...
I'm feeling better physically-not one hundred percent, but a lot of the bruises and pains have healed. My neck and ribs are still sore, but physical therapy seems to be helping, and I am not anticipating any long term effects.
But something has changed. I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but things seem different. My perception of what matters has been altered since the accident. Somehow, the totaled car doesn't seem as important. The opportunity to spend any time, "quality" or not, with my wife and children, has assumed a much greater importance and priority. All of the things that used to matter-all the trivia of day to day life-really mean little to me now.
I am grateful for seat belts. I am grateful for airbags. I am grateful for my God.
I am so thankful to have walked away from the crash. I am so thankful to be alive. I am so thankful that my children have their father and that my wife has her husband. The colors of the autumn, the smell of the air, the taste of fresh food, and the feel of the wind on my face have all become that much sweeter.