Oh Aryae! Yes, yes, yes, to this post. I experienced something similar 29 years ago, with my 3-year-old son in his car seat as I lost control on black ice (who knew?) and went over a 12' embankment. Miraculously, we were both fine. I got him out of the car and we climbed up the steep embankment, and a bald eagle flew overhead when we reached the road. We walked to the nearest house to get help, and we were warmly received. The car, new that summer, was totaled.
One and a half years ago my husband nearly died from a throat abscess that was misdiagnosed in the ER. A day later, after it was properly diagnosed and an ambulance was ordered to get him to a trauma hospital for emergency surgery, it took so many hours for the ambulance to arrive that he had little time before his throat closed up completely, and the inexperienced EMT would have been hard-pressed to save him. He was awoken after days in the ICU fine, and I wondered: Would we ever bicker again? Would we ever take each other for granted again?
So my question for you is this: have you been able to maintain the awareness that the world is magic and every moment is a precious gift since then? Did the experience transform the whole of your life?
1 REPLY
AryaeFeb 13, 2026
Wow Zoe -- thank you for your stories! Your experience with your son seems so similar to mine. So glad that you were both okay. And I love your question to yourself after the emergency with your husband: "Would we ever take each other for granted again?" Regarding your question to me -- great question. On the one hand, I was truly in an altered state after my "over the cliff" experience, and altered states don't last forever. Eventually I moved back to something closer to ordinary consciousness. On the other hand, since then, I've found myself saying "thank you" each morning. "Thank you for this body. Thank you for my wife Wendy. Thank you for this home. Thank you for the kitty. Thank you for friends. Thank you for the abundance to take care of what we need. Etc., etc." Gratitude and abundance. A good way to live.
ORIGINAL COMMENT
One and a half years ago my husband nearly died from a throat abscess that was misdiagnosed in the ER. A day later, after it was properly diagnosed and an ambulance was ordered to get him to a trauma hospital for emergency surgery, it took so many hours for the ambulance to arrive that he had little time before his throat closed up completely, and the inexperienced EMT would have been hard-pressed to save him. He was awoken after days in the ICU fine, and I wondered: Would we ever bicker again? Would we ever take each other for granted again?
So my question for you is this: have you been able to maintain the awareness that the world is magic and every moment is a precious gift since then? Did the experience transform the whole of your life?
1 REPLY