A few weeks ago, I had an accident. It wasn’t serious, but one of my belongings fell over and hit a parked car.

After I heard the thud and realized what had happened, it felt like time had stopped. I just stood there, not knowing what to say or do.

Then I snapped back to reality and apologized profusely to the car’s owner, and we exchanged contact information.

Even though I was able to remain calm on the outside, I couldn’t calm down right away. My mind was racing as I imagined the consequences. What if it costs 2 or 300,000yen? What if there's hidden damage underneath? I kept replaying the moment it fell over and over, thinking, "Why wasn't I more careful? How could I let this happen?”

I tried everything to calm down. I talked to ChatGPT and did some journaling in the hope that this anxiety would go away.

About a week later, I finally got the estimate, and it was for 78,000 yen.

It was painful, but at the same time, I felt unexpectedly calm and all my anxious thoughts and feelings had completely gone.

It made me realize how uncertainty amplifies our fears, and even if it is painful, clarity often comes with peace of mind. When things are unclear, negative thoughts start to swirl, and we imagine the worst case scenario.

Anyway, no one was hurt, and now it’s all taken care of. Now, I try to think of it as having shaken off all my bad luck before the year ends. With that mindset, I’m ready to start the new year fresh!