Ever made a split second decision and regretted it?

A couple of weeks ago, I made the journey from Birmingham to Wolverhampton, to watch my beloved Villa play at the Molineux Stadium. It’s not a long journey, about half an hour on a good day. But the problem is, it’s rarely a good day when it comes to driving on the M6! 

The M6 is known to be one of the worst motorways in the UK when it comes to delays, accidents and closures. So I don’t know what I was thinking when, on the way home, my satnav suggested I take an earlier exit and I thought “Nah! I’m sticking to my usual route, it’ll be ok” It was not ok. A few miles past the turn off that the satnav had suggested I take, the traffic slowly ground to a halt. Now, I don’t mean it slowed down. I mean it totally stopped. I could see the junction we needed to take, I just couldn’t reach it. People were out of their cars, walking around, sitting on the motorway and had just generally accepted that they were not going anywhere anytime soon. Apparently there had been a big accident up ahead. A multi-car pile up. The road was closed and we were now stuck, in it for the long haul. 

It was nearly 11pm at night, we had no drinks, no food, and no idea how long we were going to be stuck there.  Thankfully, what we did have was the good British people. The car next to us opened its doors, and five lads tumbled out of it. It was quite funny really, they were big lads, all squashed in like sardines! On their way home from a night out, with one or two beers inside of them, and a bag full of Indian takeout they were insistent on sharing.  So we stood on the motorway engine off and politely declined their offer of Indian Treats and Naan breads but did have a chat and a laugh with these complete strangers and chatted for two whole hours before the road reopened and we managed to make our way home. 

Now, there’s a few things I learned from this experience. First, always follow the satnav, it really does know best. Our buddies in another car, who did as the satnav suggested, made it home a full two hours earlier than we did!  But secondly, and more importantly, sometimes life goes a little wrong. Sometimes we make decisions that land us in situations we’d really rather not be in. But that doesn’t matter. In fact, it’s almost unavoidable. What matters most, is how you respond. I talk a lot about your circle of influence, accepting the things you cannot change and letting go when it’s out of your control. I truly believe that it’s the secret to living a happy life. 

Now, I could have got frustrated when we found ourselves stuck on the motorway at nearly midnight. I could have beaten myself up for ignoring the satnav. But I didn’t. I accepted it and made the most of the situation I’d found myself in and found a way to turn a bad situation into a bit of fun. Thankfully, we found out the next day that while it was a bad accident, across all 4 lanes of the M6, no one was seriously injured, so it was good news for everyone. 

How about you? Have you ever made a decision that’s landed you in a “point of no return” problem? How did you handle it?  I’d love to hear your stories.