“All That Matters” by Shelby Stanke portrays the emotions and regrets that come to you in a time of great danger.  The narrator remembers her family, probably wondering how this incident would affect her. A car crash would affect anyone she was close to. I’ve seen many other articles that had people recall the important people in their lives during life-threatening incidents, but this one stuck out from all others. The piece gave me an introduction on what would come next and how the specific incident would ultimately change the narrator’s perspective on things. Shelby then moves straight into the accident, in which she gets into a car crash. She embraces all of the senses in describing the moments before and during the crash – “Dirt, dust, and grit covered every inch of me. Scorched rubber and exhaust stung my nostrils, clouding my thoughts.” I really enjoyed this line because I pictured it as if it were a movie – the character being covered in dirt and the wreckage literally on top of her.
Shelby then writes the more emotional or sentimental part of the piece, in which she recalls the memories of her dad who was once her favorite person in the world. That relationship slowly faded as the years went by, unfortunately. I don’t hate when I read able people having issues with loved ones, but it’s touching in a way that I feel sympathetic. The conclusion of the piece was something unique that I appreciated – the realization that even through such a traumatizing experience, Shelby and her father’s relationship wouldn’t be the same. She states “I expected his anger, but what I received was a complete surprise.” That complete surprise was a caring father who wanted to love her daughter infinitely more than he had before. I enjoy any story, especially this one, that is able to reach out and “hit me right in the feels.”