Maintaining Clarity

Have you had a near death experience? If you have, you can relate to this blog post. If not, well buckle down and enjoy the ride. First and foremost, having a near death experience doesn't always have to be yours. It could be someone you're very close to. I wanted to share a few of the ones I've seen in my lifetime.

1. Band President
Yes, please don't laugh, but I was elected my high school's band president my senior year. Mr. Kato, my band teacher must have thought it was a big joke when I won. The benefits weren't many except for leading the pep band (all 15 of us) and having a tuba sized band locker. I did have several naps inside that bad boy. We were heading to a basketball game across town in Portland, OR. Julie, my vice president, was using her older Toyota pickup truck to transport the full drum set to the gym. Our drum set was in a open top box that could come apart to create a platform for the drummer. It fit nicely into her truck bed. I had asked Mr. Kato if I could tag along with Julie. Normal school policy required parental permission to ride with another student. I spoke with my mother, who approved the trip in Julie's truck. The journey was fun on the way there, it got rather interesting on the way home.

We were driving back on HWY 26 where the road narrowed to two lanes then down to one while it was under construction. At some point, the drum set had worked its way loose and went crashing out of the back of the truck. The truck had a higher center of gravity and when the drum set went out the back, Julie lost control at 70MPH. We bounced a few times off the cement medians and finally tipped up on the nose of the truck. I remember looking through the windshield and seeing the pavement. I thought at that moment..."this is it...this is it."

We ended up sliding on the passenger side (my side) away from traffic for some time. When the emergency personnel arrived, they ended up sawing through the support beams of the windshield and peeled back the top like a can of sardines. Both of us did not sustain anything more than small scratches and bruises. It seemed like a miracle.

2. Robbery in the Ghettos of Brazil
When I was living in Belo Horizonte, Brasil, I spent quite a bit of time in the ghettos. At one point, my companion and I were up there looking for a specific address. We turned the corner and I was staring at the biggest block of marijuana I'd ever seen. There were several armed people "protecting" the exchanges.

At that moment, a guy came up and pointed a stub-nosed revolver right at my face. He said, "o que voce ta facendo aqui?" which translates to, "what are you doing here?" Many thoughts were running through my head...but I decided to go with the truth..."Hey man, we are just looking for an address." I told the guy the address while staring down the muzzle. He was pondering what to do next I guess as he hesitated. Then...then...I let my big mouth open with, "Is that the Smith and Wesson 642 loaded with Federal Hydrashoks?" What was I thinking? Stupid. Then he pulled the gun away for a minute to look at it, and responded with "I don't know?! Well follow me." He waved his gun in the general direction he started walking in. It was down a dark, narrow pathway in the ghetto. I thought, well why not...this is a good time as any to die. We followed him and he lead us to the address we were looking for. He told us to remain inside for at least an hour. That was a curious thing, but we did anyways and had lunch with the family we were visiting. Within 30 minutes, there was a shootout not far away...

3. Dad's Heart Attack
I was hanging out with my dad in his townhouse in Portland. He had been not feeling well and was complaining of pain in his left arm. He thought that if he lied down on the couch and got some rest, he'd feel better. The pain worsened. My dad was sure he was having a heart attack so I drove him to the emergency room. After I parked the car, he had received immediate care. One of the immediate actions they took was putting nitropaste on his chest to help his heart. I was standing by him, just talking while the medical staff had moved on to other patients. I was watching his BP/HR monitor and saw it was suddenly dropping. His heart rate (HR) was at 95, then 90, then 80, then 60, then 50...

*BEEP BEEP BEEP* The monitor began sounding the first alarm. No one seemed to notice. I was standing next to my dad as he turned and said, "I don't feel so good Mark...I feel light headed." At this point, his HR was below 40. When I looked up at the monitor, it was 32, 25, 20... A second and louder alarm sounded. I yelled, "HELP!!! Someone help my dad!" Immediately, 7-8 medical staff members rushed to him. They wiped off the nitropaste and his BP/HR rose.

Long story short, he had chest and arm pain due to some strain when he was doing yard work at the beach house...

So I shared three different near death experiences. Some involved me directly and others my loved ones. I have found one thing in common with these experiences. After each one of these events, there was a new sense of direction and clarity. I would venture to guess, that anyone who has had a near death experience feels similar.

The new found direction and clarity provides such motivation for change. Some time I just wish that I could maintain it. I get so bogged down with the problems of today. When the clarity hits, you realize that what I spend the majority of my day worrying about, just doesn't matter. Family is what matters in the end. Family.

If my kids can leave my roof knowing one thing is that "family comes first."

I'll keep working on this idea...