Traffic-induced tears and reasons to smile

My morning started horribly, I hit someone on my way to work. Not a pedestrian or anything, I just realized how that sounded. Anyway, just a few blocks from home I was pulling up to a stop light behind about 4 cars and the first person tried stopping (probably should have gone) and the rest of us were not having luck stopping, the guy in front of me turned his wheel to the right to avoid hitting the guy in front of him and hit a snowbank and I turned my wheel left thinking I could escape in the turn lane but the ice under my tires had other plans and skidded my card further left, hitting the side of a vehicle passing in the oncoming lane. Thank God it was just us two vehicles involved, after waiting about 25 minutes for an officer and spending another half an hour waiting for him to do his report we parted ways, quite shaken, and I went home to make the necessary phone calls. I am still shaken 4 hours later, I'm SO sick of winter I cannot even express myself using clean language. I'm sure you can guess where I'd like to tell Mother Nature to stick her ice and snow!

I was already a couple of hours late to work so took the morning off and went for my two estimates that insurance requested. Damage on my vehicle, about $2000-$2100. I have a deductible of $250 at least so it's not as painful, no one was hurt and I'm hoping our insurance premiums don't go up. It was my first accident ever so maybe that will work in our favor. We'll soon find out as our insurance is up for renewal in 2 weeks.

I was greeted with lots of smiling faces and looks of sympathy at work and in emails as I notified friends and family of my bad morning. My friend Mary said the purse she made me was just mailed out so that made me smile and Emma was the Cool Kid of the Day over here! That was reason to smile.

I don't like driving anymore, I'm all shaky and drive overly cautiously now. I witnessed some very VERY close calls too after my accident while waiting or the police (he said they had 20 accidents in 9 hours so I'm not alone)...and there were lots of close calls while I drove across town to get my estimates too, people are not slowing down enough and soon enough at stop lights. I know I am now if I wasn't before. I thought I was being so careful, I honestly was going slow this morning and leaving more distance than I usually do between me and the next car in front of me but it wasn't enough.

Be careful out there, especially if you're located somewhere like where I am, covered in ice and snow that never seems to stop and has no end in sight.