I woke up this morning feeling like I was hit by a truck.

Oh, that’s right, I was.

Yesterday I was rear-ended on the 101 Freeway by a Chevy Trailblazer that pushed me straight into the Prius in front of me.

A car sandwich, let’s call it, with me and my Honda as the center fixings.

And when you realize you’re being hit, you know you can’t do anything but surrender to the moment, but you also don’t know what the outcome’s gonna be.

And that’s a little scary.

Fortunately, in this case, it all worked out okay.

I ended up with the worst of it and that’s just a nasty scar on my clavicle from the seat belt and minor aches and pains. Plus my car has a few boo-boo’s, too.

But I have to tell you, that feeling of complete awareness, of complete aliveness, that happens in the moment you’re  being hit, well, it’s a real wake-up call to what’s important.

Or perhaps, I should say, to what’s not so important.

For instance, I promise that if you’re ever slammed by a pick-up truck you won’t care if you’re wearing the hottest brand of jeans.

And you’ll notice your handbag is going to careen into the dashboard whether it’s a Louis Vuitton or a $9.99 clearance special from Target.

And the moisturizer that costs you $295 a jar isn’t gonna protect your pretty cheekbones any better than the bargain brand if they hit the windshield.

Clearly and quickly, so many of the things that we obsess about and think matter get pushed into their proper perspective.

One of my mentors had a very serious accident while he was in college and discovered in his moment of pure awareness that you’re only gonna care about three things:

Did I live?
Did I love?
Did I matter?

The key is using minor accidents like this — what I think of as taps on the shoulder from the universe — to re-examine priorities and make sure the path you’re taking is the one you want to be on.

But don’t wait for the proverbial truck to hit you to start doing that!

You can stop worrying about silly things like labels and what’s in and what’s out and all that other nonsense right now.

Today’s VPOD, for instance, features a fabulous unlabeled suede and silk dress from Neiman Marcus. It’s just right for Fall for a gal who knows the label on the inside of her dress doesn’t make her look stylish. It’s the energy she brings to the world that makes her dress look stylish.

That’s the different perspective you have when you’re a vintage fashionista!

Available at Nicola Vicius.

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