Finding confidence in catastrophe

Today I ran into the back of a truck with my new (not really new but I will consider it that way until I pay it off probably haha) car, and I know for a fact that the self reflection practices that I have been engaging in helped me vastly in the situation.  I was able to keep myself calm and focused even though I wanted to scream and cry.  The man was extremely kind, the damage is not too bad, and the process of dealing with the incident was easy, fast and stress free.  I was extremely pleasant and I was genuinely impressed with my ability to handle the situation.  I can think of many times in my life when I collapsed under pressure and did not handle things the most effective way, and this would have been a perfect opportunity for me to fall into that same destructive routine.  Instead I was able to take a deep breath and stay strong in a way that has never before been so effortless for me.  I am very thankful for my dedication to meditation practices because I am able to see the positive effects that it has in so many aspects of my life.