Life Changes

This post will be simple, and hopefully will spark some thoughts of yours.

I am interested in how a "near death" experience would impact you and your day to day lives. If some medical phenomenom or other entanglement occurred in your life, and it nearly ended your days on this Earth, what would you do?

Life would obviously be viewed differently, but for how long? Would the experience alter your life, making it more adventurous or making it more cautious. Would you experience life as much as possible, or would you sit back, relax and watch everyone around you experience life? How would it affect you? Or,... Would life not change for you? Would you continue through life as nothing ever happened?

For me? I believe I would have to admit to all of the above. I believe I would be as adventurous as I have been, trying new things with a sense of caution, knowing that I would have to abstain from some activities that would frighten me or directly influence a negative affect to whatever made me brush so closely with death. I believe that whatever made me think about it would be a constant reminder throughout the rest of my life, but as time passed, I would relax more and more until my daily life became the norm.

For instance, I was involved in a rollover car accident while driving 80 miles per hours on a dirt road several years ago. I was 17 years old, and the first flip was end over end, followed by three consecutive flips to the side. I rolled a total of four times, in a 1978 Ford Fairmont, four door sedan, without airbags. When the car came to a stop, on its wheels, I was laying across the back seat. I walked away from the accident, although my outlook of driving again was scarred.

For about six months following the accident, I refused to drive on a dirt road. When I finally decided to do it, my speed limits were far slower than the recommended limit, as posted on the signs. It has been 20 years since that accident. My average speed on a dirt road is about 35 miles per hour. Even now, I am reminded of that accident everytime I drive on a dirt road. It does not affect my driving now, although I don't drive 80 on it anymore.

I believe I have learn limits from my brush with death by being cautious at first, then gradually trying new things until I was confident I was living life to the fullest capability. I will say, however, that my accident did not stop me from doing things that had no direct influence with which I escaped death. It didn't stop me from finishing school or crossing the street.

These are my thoughts, but I would like yours. I'm interested in what you think.

Dave