LINK: death becomes her
How many near death experiences have you had? How did they make you feel? If you’ve only had one, or none at all, what is wrong with you???
Prompt snagged from: ian m dudley
There were three instances:
first
When I was eight, my cousin and I went swimming in her apartment pool. We were both little kids who didn’t really know how to swim, but for whatever reason we started heading towards the deep end. Out of nowhere, I felt a hand pushing my head underwater. It was my cousin—she was drowning, panicking, grabbing at anything to stay above the surface… including me. I remember being trapped under her, unable to break free, and yelling underwater.
My brother, who was five, started screaming for help. A man who happened to be walking by heard him, ran inside the gated pool area, and somehow managed to pull my cousin out by her hair, then grabbed me next.
When my parents found out, they immediately enrolled me in swimming lessons. There was no grace period or gradual exposure. Nah, my parents cranked up that intensity and made me confront that trauma head-on.
second
Several years ago, I was working in the ED (emergency department) when a patient threatened to unalive me and a colleague because he wasn’t getting what he wanted (alprazolam and oxy). I ended up placing him on a 5150 hold since he was DTO (danger to others) with homicidal ideations with a plan and he had intent. It wasn’t quite a near death experience, but it was definitely a threat to my life.
I felt rather vulnerable. ED violence runs rampant and people are becoming more unhinged. I always make sure that I am aware of my surroundings and place myself near exits and try to de-escalate things earlier on if possible.
three
And lastly, there was the car accident three years ago. My friend and I were on our way to an exhibit, I had a green light, went straight through the intersection—and a car t-boned my side, full force. The impact spun my car around twice before it came to a stop facing the wrong direction. I didn’t scream. I just whispered, “mother fucker”.
I couldn’t open my door. My car wouldn’t start. My phone had flown into the backseat somewhere. I turned to my friend and calmly asked her, “Can you call 911?”
The fire department arrived within minutes. They pulled both of us out, checked us over, and recommended taking us to the hospital. We said no. I was annoyed more than anything else. Annoyed about the accident, annoyed that people had gathered to stare at this shit show, annoyed that the cops barely wanted to write an accident report, and annoyed because my car had less than 5,000 miles and this ass hat wanted to fuck up my day for whatever reason.
My car was so damaged that I had to call my insurance agent who suggested that I call a tow truck to haul it to a body shop to see if the car was salvageable. It just ruined our day but we were very fortunate to be alive. It could have been much worse.
Later, my friend and I went to urgent care for x-rays and then I followed up with a chiropractor. I had severe whiplash and sprain/strain injuries. She insisted that she was perfectly fine and refused to see anyone for follow up care, despite me telling her that my insurance would cover it.
To this day, I double-check intersections. I also try to live my life to the fullest… because tomorrow isn’t promised.
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