Close Brushes With Death

YES, VERY!
Yes, very! I do not wish to share the details. Yes, it changed my life: The "event" made me more certain than ever that you can survive. And, that this survival has a lot of components, not the least of which is invested in a power beyond oneself.[/color]

Yes. I had an abusive ex that put me in constant danger and I learned to be very picky about who I get involved with.

I was in a nasty car wreck in 1983. The only reason that I walked away from it was that I happened to be wearing my seatbelt, which I rarely did at the time. I've been a religious seatbelt wearer ever since.

I was at a summer camp when I was a young teenager, and I wasn't a good swimmer. Went into the lake with someone I knew (but didn't like very much) who could swim better than I could. I tried to swim as far out as he did, then realized I was tired and couldn't make it back. He recognized my trouble and helped me back to land. Probably saved my life. Gave me pause, because, as I said, I'd never really liked him much. I think my sense of irony kicked in around then...

Muerte - I am aware of research into the lives of people who have experienced the Near Death Experience phenomenon - you know, the tunnel, the light, the choice etc. Whether they be a result of anoxia and natural narcotics, or some sort of metaphysical thingummybob, people DO report life-changing results from them.

However - the non-NDE brush with death - yes I have had one, when two terrified police nearly shot me, after I called them to a domestic violence incident next-door, and they arrived late, when the situation had calmed, and was under control, but when we were all outside trying to deal with stuff.

The very young police came down to us, at the back of the house, down a long side path, in the middle of the night, clearly terrified (and not unreasonably!), with their hands trembling so violently that I feared their drawn guns would go off by themselves!

They ordered us to "Put our hands up, and stand against the f***cking fence, or they would blow our f***ing brains out!"

I was, oddly, completely unafraid, and I never considered complying with their orders - instead, although not, at the time, much older than they were, I saw them as frightened children, and I soothed them, cooed at them, gently explained that the danger was over, and suggested a rational course of action to them - which they followed.

Effect? Nil. It WAS a serious situation, potentially - but I felt -probably quite wrongly - completely in control, and quite unmoved.

You've got guts dlowan, but now that I think of it, I can see myself doing the same thing.

LOL! I have always had a good police-side manner, Gezzy - always the one sent out to deal with the boys and girls in blue if they were upset with us for any reason.

The only danger was that they would kill us by accident - and that seemed a real likelihood - so getting them calm was what needed to happen - like handling frightened critters and I have handled a LOT of them!

Gotta tame those little boys in blue. You go girl ;-)

Yes-Ive had a couple. Two involved helicopters that crashed, with me in them. Both times we landed upside down in water, where we had to un hook and swim out of a whole cluster of twisted crap. This taught me to never, under any circumstance, to feel comfy in a helicopter. Usually , in a bad accident, things happen so quickly that you dont have time to sort things out till much later. I still have to ride the damn things but Im very aware of the pilot and my surroundings.

While on a minerals survey I was in a dozer and we came under heavy fire from rebels/pirates in Nigeria and the operator of the bulldozer i was on, was killed. I had to quickly learn how to operate the tracks and blade. I kept the blade waY up in the air and backed out of the path so we could get back to camp,Bullets were pinging on the blade like that dead metal sound you get when shooting a 22 at a shooting gallery sound, no zinggs or those sounds you hear in old cowboy movies. It took me about what felt like a week to back into camp and I started screaming for help for my driver . We quickly packed everything out and leaving all the company equipment, we, hopped in a helicopter and got our asses out. All the way back to Kano and , as we flew, we helped our dozer driver die. All we could do is make him feel that he wasnt alone. That was a collection of moments that stays with me till today. Ive learned that death is merely a line we all cross and crossing it with loved ones or friends around, may be all that we can hope for.

Farmerman
That is so sad about the man that died.