What was involved, and what were your thoughts during the event?
I ask because a. it's just interesting, and b. I'm wondering if everyone's visceral reactions to intensely frightening things are all the same, or if there's some measure of variance.


I've had a few in my life. I'll try my best to keep it short, since I'm listing more than one.

1. The time my Grandmother was life-flighted.
2. The time my Dad was life-flighted.
[In both cases I felt sick, and all I could do was pray over and over that they would make it and be okay. Not much else, other than vaguely attempt to picture what life would be like without them...something I don't recommend doing, in retrospect.]

3. The time I woke up in an isolation cell in jail, with no recollection of how I got there. I look in the mirror to see a hideous bulging black eye taking up half my face: also no idea how it got there. And reading the papers left on a bench stating my offenses.
[For the first--I don't know hour or two?--I honestly felt unhuman I was so disoriented and scared. My mind went into a state of shock and disbelief, and I felt like vomiting but didn't. All I could do was probe my memory as hard as I could for what happened, to no avail which was beyond frustrating. The room creeped me out to no end, because there were no windows or clocks, flourescent lighting, and a voice that kept saying things over an intercom--everything about place reminded me of a bad dream. I remember praying, not to be saved, but to be able to remember what happened. To this day I don't know the whole story, and I can't even begin to explain how it feels...but loss of memory has got to be one of the most unsettling feelings in the world.]

4. Last night I was driving happily along the road at night, without my brights on (there was an approaching car in the oncoming lane). At the last second, and unfortunately too late: I see a slanted telephone pole with the cables hanging parallel to the road. I end up hitting the damn thing, obliterating my driver's-side window. Immediately after I feel something hot on my cheek, reach toward the scarf I'm wearing and find a very large and hot metal bolt of some sort. They had to cut the wires off my truck, and I unfortunately knocked out power to the whole street. Apologies.
[First shock, then panic/sick feeling, then sobbing pleas to God not to kill me in such a way. "I haven't even contributed anything good to the world yet", "I'm sorry, I can do better", etc. After, all I could do was say thank you over and over again, and think about was how lucky I was to have pulled the top of the pole off, or I likely would've been burned to a crisp. In retrospect, I just keep thinking about the series of coincidences leading up to and surrounding the whole thing. A weird feeling, to be sure.]


Are scary/life-threatening experiences always praying situations to you? If not, what are they?