Reverse Like No One’s Watching (Until They Are): A Life Lesson from a Busted Bumper

Blog Date: 18 August 2025

You ever have one of those days?

Where nothing goes to plan, logic takes the day off, and you find yourself caught in the middle of an absurd situation wondering, “Am I being punk’d?”

Welcome to my Sunday. And like many great dramas, this one starts in a quiet suburban driveway.

🎮 The Mario Kart School of Driving (Now Featuring a Nose-to-Nose Stand-Off)

So I’m Ubering, doing my thing, trying to get through the morning productively. I go to reverse out of a driveway in a small side street — the kind where you’d think people would take it easy.As I’m backing out, I notice a car approaching from the front. He’s not slowing down. Cool. I stop. I’ve always driven like everyone else on the road got their license in a cereal box.

Once the coast is clear, I begin reversing again — slowly, halfway into the street. That’s when it happens. A young woman in a small car decides to pull onto the wrong side of the road — to get behind me, but now ends up right beside me, on my left. We were nearly nose-to-nose.

She was now:

• On the wrong side of the street

• Facing the wrong direction

• Sitting almost head-on with me-

• And completely in my way

I’m sitting there thinking: Are we seriously doing this right now? Rather than let me finish reversing and be on my way, she made it ten times harder by turning it into some awkward Mexican stand-off.

All I needed was five seconds and half a metre. But no. She’d committed to her angle like she was trying to parallel park in an obstacle course.

And while I was busy focusing on her, trying to figure out how to escape the street without a full-blown road rage moment… that’s when I missed what was behind me.

🚨 The Crunch Heard 'Round the Cul-de-sac

My reversing sensors kicked in — just a second too late.I hadn’t seen the big white ute behind me. Completely blocked in, no wiggle room. And then… crunch.

I’d backed straight into it. Not hard — but loud enough for my stomach to drop. It was the kind of sound that makes you freeze, scan for witnesses, and question every decision that led you to this moment.I was now stuck in the middle of the road, boxed in by cars on either side, and trying to salvage what little dignity I had left.

🧍‍♀️Damage Control (and a Surprisingly Kind Encounter)

I pulled over to the side of the road and walked over to the driveway near the ute. There was a man busy doing something in his carport outside, so I asked him if he knew who owned the vehicle. He said it belonged to his son. I explained what had happened — that I’d accidentally reversed into it and wanted to pass on my details. No drama, no excuses — just honesty.

He was kind and genuinely grateful that I came to let him know. “It’s rare for people to actually do this,” he said. “Thank you for coming over.” His son wasn’t home, so I left my contact information. Honestly, it was one of those rare moments where doing the right thing actually felt... really good.

💬 When the Spiral Starts…

Of course, the second I pulled away, the overthinking began:

• “What’s this going to cost?”

• “Should I call my insurer?”

• “Can I even afford this right now?”

• “Is this going to ruin my whole week?”

  
  

And all this while I had a rider waiting. So I picked them up, put on my best “I’ve totally got it together” voice, and kept driving.

🧠 Refocus: Solutions, Not Spirals

As the day went on, I reminded myself — this is a problem, yes. But it’s not the end of the world. I’ve been through worse. And I can find a solution.

After a few more rides, I found myself in the neighbourhood of a close friend — someone who always calms my nerves.

Rather than call my family and stress them out, I messaged her. She called me straight away. “Come over,” she said. “Let my husband take a look.”

🔧 Enter: A Backyard Hero

I arrived, still a bit flustered, still trying to brush it off like it was “no big deal.” Her husband had a look and said, “You’ve actually been lucky — this isn’t too bad.”

And with a bit of expert wrangling, he popped the panels back into place. Not brand new, but safe, tidy, and no longer embarrassing.That moment — the support, the calm, the kindness — was exactly what I needed. Not just a car fix, but a nervous system reset.

🍀 Plot Twist: A Lucky Last Ride

Later in the day, I started sharing the story with a few passengers — using it as comic relief more than anything.

My final ride? A young guy who’d just won $4,000 on the pokies. I congratulated him, and he ended up giving me a generous tip — just because he could. Talk about balance. A day that started with a crunch ended with a smile.

📖 “Do Not Worry About Tomorrow…”

There’s a Bible verse I always come back to — especially during stressful or uncertain moments. I’m not super religious, but this one gets me every time:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

(*Matthew 6:34*)

It’s helped me through anxiety, burnout, mental health struggles, and messy life moments like this one. And today? It whispered in my ear again: “Breathe. Deal with what you can today.”

💛 The Moral of the Story?

• People will end up in your lane. Stay focused anyway.

• Mistakes happen. What matters is how you respond.

• Doing the right thing feels really good — even if it’s awkward.

• Asking for help is strength, not weakness.

• And sometimes the worst part of your day can lead to the best reminders about who you are (and who’s in your corner).

Have you ever had a morning like this?DM me or leave a comment — because if you’ve ever been stuck, spiralling, or wedged between poor drivers and your own overthinking… you’re definitely not alone.

Till next Time

Marlene x