Hi,
Last week, I went for my holiday in Malaysia. Great sunshine and beautiful beaches!
I went snorkeling. I should wear a life jacket but I didn't. I thought that I am good at swimming and snorkeling. (I am a lifeguard twenty years ago!) A life jacket seemed to be meaningless to me.
There were lots of lovely fishes moving around here and there.
Suddenly, some sea water flushed into my mouth and I was choked. Just like everybody who had been choked in water, I moved my arms and legs fierceful and more water got into my mouth. A clear message flashed into my mind - "I am drowned!"
The second message went into my mind was that I should have worn a life jacket.
The third message then appeared - "I don't want to die and I need to be calm."
This is something easier to say than do. But I managed to do so and then I recalled what I learned during my lifeguard training. Most of the people will not die if they just stop what they are doing when they are drowned. That is, moving their arms and legs. This will just make them sinking faster.
So I stopped moving and started to breath slowly. It took me a minute or so before I became "normal" again. I saved my own life.
Lessons Learned:
1. Accident will happen. It will happen to those who do not think it will happen to them.
2. Sometimes it is what you are doing kills you. Stop doing what you are doing if it doesn't work.
3. Ask yourself what you really need. In my case, I need air, so I breath.
These are something too simple, but they saved my life.
Keith