A Dent or a Scar?

Bump.  A feeling of panic gripped me as I realized I had hit the fence.  I hadn't been confident that I could navigate the van through the narrow gateway.  That sound was the proof.  Then I was stuck.  I couldn't go forward.  I had to back up.  Backing up led to my ears hearing another screech as the side of the van hit against the fence again.  After that, I managed to get the car through the entrance properly and park.  I took a quick look at the side of the van.  It was dented in at the bottom where the passenger door meets the back door.  The light pink paint was chipped away and bits of green remained from where they had been scratched from the fence and attached themselves to the van.  The van could still run, no one had been hit or hurt.  Yet, a sense of fear gripped me.

Feelings from the past overwhelmed me and I felt like a teenager again, scared and insecure.  The 25 year old, responsible teacher, though, couldn't just go home and cry.  She had a lesson to teach.  She was working.  Only with God's strength did I manage not to cry in front of the kindergarten students.  I put on a happy face, introduced myself to the children and tried to have fun while teaching English songs and words for the next 40 minutes.

It all worked out.  The school insurance would cover the payment.  I had to file an accident report and draw a sketch of what happened.  One of the staff members of the kindergarten had witnessed the whole thing and conveyed it over the phone to someone in the office at my school.  No one was angry with me.

10 days have passed.  When I think about last Monday, though, my stomach feels like it is knotted.  I was very proud of my driving history.  How true the words of Proverbs 16:18 are, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."