What is the split-second decision you made that changed your life

I’ve never told anyone this story, this is the short version:

I was being young and stupid driving around to parties.

I didn’t know one of the people in the car and I was a little bit sketched out by him, he seemed rough around the edges and was acting strange. He was a friend of a friend.

A police car pulls behind me.

His lights flickered on. I pulled over.

I gave them all my info. The cops asked to search the car.

“Sure - no problem sir.”

We all get out and go to the side walk while the one officer starts questioning people.

I’m standing watching officers dig through my car.

Although I had nothing to be nervous about, I was still nervous. Watching officers sift through every inch of your car will make anyone nervous.

Then I look over and one of the guys from my car is in handcuffs, the one I was sketched out about. He had a parole violation.

I thought, “Oh wonderful. This is escalating quickly.”

A few minutes later an officer comes walking over to me. He holds up a glass pipe and asks “Is this yours?”

Wide eyed, “No sir, it isn’t.”

I immediately recognized this wasn’t a marijuana pipe.

It was a crack pipe.

“Well why is it under your car seat?”

“Sir it isn’t mine. I swear.”

He replies, “Yeah yeah - heard it all before.”

At this point I’m incredulous. I know the handcuffed guy slid it under my seat. Everyone else in the car is the farthest thing from crackheads.

I could see my life evaporating before my eyes, my parents’ reaction to getting the phone call that a crack pipe was found in my car and that I need to be bailed out of jail.

The court appearance where I get a criminal record that ruins any hopes of a career, a life confined to menial jobs. The feeling was shocking, waves reverberating down my skin.

The officer was still looking at me, standing only a couple feet away.

He turned and started to walk back to his police car, I then said,

“Sir - drug test me.”

He turned and looked at me.

“I’m telling the truth. Test me right now. That pipe has been used. If I've used any drugs they would show in my system. I am clean. I wouldn’t have a used pipe if I was clean. Test me.”

He nodded.

Apparently, that was the only acceptable answer in that situation because I could tell he believed me.

We all got to leave. Except for the unknown who eventually fessed up to owning the pipe.

He also had a gun on him.

Yeah - not cool.

That was definitely a low point for me, perhaps bottom. And around the time I started rethinking the fun party-hard life I was living.