reply to post by tpg65
I can think of three off the top of my head. The one that strikes me as the most amazing is when I was 16:
I was in the woods near Fossil Creek Park playing war games with some of my friends from ROTC. It was raining, and had been for the last few days.
While trying to flank one of the others, I lost my footing and went into the water. The rain runoff made the depth about 10 feet higher than usual,
and moving very swiftly. People drowned here all the time.
The current was exceptionally strong, and even though I am a good swimmer, i couldn't get to the side for a hand hold. I managed to turn facing the
direction I was moving, treading water until a fallen tree limb that traversed the river (but submerged) struck me in the lower abdomen, bending me in
half over it. The current was keeping me bent, as about 2-3 feet of swift water was going over me, and 4 or so feet moving beneath me. I remember
thinking "If I can't get out of this,I'm going to drown" and trying unsuccessfully to straighten out against the current, but couldn't quite make
it. Now, because of the flash flooding and the bizarre manner in which i struck the limb, there was a small air pocket created on the other side of
the limb, between my kneecaps and my chest. i managed a few inhales, one great push, and then I was free.
I don't really remember exactly how it happened, but here I am. I have always felt like I should have died that day.
All the others involved surreal experiences with automobiles, starting when I was three. Driving with my mom, hit ice on the road, and spun wildly
doing 360 after 360 in between other cars and finally coming to a stop, completely safe. I know I was too young to remember that, but i can recall the
events very well.
I Had a similar occurrence driving alone down a city road near rush hour, when it had just begun to rain and the roads were slick. Too much gas, car
went out of control spinning, weaving around and in between about 5 other cars (into oncoming traffic) and spun right around to the original direction
and continued like nothing had happened. I remember at least two of the other drivers faces were white, jaw dropped and in utter amazement that we had
not touched, scraped or even missed a beat.
The wildly "out of control, recover, and continue on without a beat" formula has happened quite a few times, and I have wondered how it could have
been possible many times.
As a side note, but still relevant to this thread, My baby brother died 26 hours after birth with a malformed heart valve. Seven Years later, My
sister was born, and told us just after she had learned to speak that she had been here before, as my brother, but something had happened and the
"blue angel" told her she had to come back later. She died 5 years ago when she was 19, in an accident with a detached aorta.
Funny old world, isn't it?
I am very interested in this topic though, it seems to run close to home.