Esperella, thats a harrowing story, especially for someone so young at the time. You did try though, you put your own life in danger, i salute your courage. It is, as you said impossible to put behind you as every now and again for some reason it comes back to haunt you.
Thank you for your replies and stories, We have brave people amongst us, to save a life is a great thing.
I guess i should describe my experience at this stage. It was about ten years ago, me and a friend were out walking in the Derbyshire hills. In fact we were at a spot called Derwent Valley where in WW1 the lancaster squadrons practiced for the famous 'Dam Busters' raid, the dam at Derwent being very similar to their target in the Ruhr Valley.
Anyway we were sat by the side of the reservoir when we noticed a man walking along the parapet of the dam. He then tried to climb around one of the towers that are situated either side of the dam. Then we saw him fall into the reservoir. At this point there seemed no cause for concern, he was about thirty metres from the shore and close to the dam wall. But to our horror it became obvious he was in trouble. This is when something kicks in, or in the case of many onlookers at the scene it doesnt. From where we were to this hapless soul was about two hundred metres with only a small fence to negotiate. I wasted no time in reaching the top of the dam above the despairing man only to realise he was well out of my reach about three metres below me. Desperate, i climbed over the dam wall and down towards him. I remember his cries so clearly, "help me, i cant swim" I knew not to jump in the water, although for a split second it crossed my mind. He was a big man, i am not at my best in water, i knew he would have pulled me under. I told him it would be ok, i would get him out. I climbed down the vertical wall to the waters edge. the rock was wet and very slippery but i managed to get a reasonable hold with one hand on a dry piece of rock.Stretching my leg out i told him to grab my foot. His fingers wrapped around my foot but he could not hold on and he slipped under the water. I will never forget the look of terror in his eyes as he disappeared below the surface. I know now that had he been able to hold on to my foot, he would not have let go, pulled me from the my hold and most probably we both would have drowned. By now his wife and two children had appeared at the top of the dam. She was hysterical, i remember she said something that seemed strange at the time. She said, "he cant have drowned, hes got the car keys," the situation was hopeless at that point and i started to cry. The police later confirmed my fears, if i had of jumped in they would have most likely been dealing with a double fatality. The divers could not attempt to recover his body till the following week as the pumping stations at the dam had to be turned off first, the police said he was probably pulled under this way. I found out at the inquest he could in fact swim and that he had just worked an eighteen hour shift but still found the time to take his family for what should have been a great day out. This tragic episode still torments me to this day.
There is a moral to this story and that in fact is why i am writing it. I f you ever find yourself in a similar situation STOP...if only for a few seconds. THINK...look at the available options. You see, had i of done this, i would have seen and maybe made used of the objects around me, tree branches, wooden fence etc. The irony of it was, i had about 100mtr of climbing rope in my car not far away, if only i'd have had my pack with me at that time. But more to the point, if only i had stopped for a moment to THINK!!!!!
Well, if ever there is a next time...I certainly will.
Well sometimes the answer to that isn't so obvious.
All i am saying is, my support doesn't go automatically without question to the forces from my country regardless of the rights and wrongs of the situation.
There are diferent forms of meditation gilly. I use TM, which with a little training can be used by anyone.
As for what goes through your mind, the answer is nothing. Thats the whole point. To be able to shut down the constant chatter and reach a state of stillness, rejuvenates the mind, body and soul to bring about a calm and heightened sense of awareness. Just try to relax, close your eyes and think of absolutely nothing. Your mind will not let you, it never stops. If you can achieve this state of 'stillness' for say about twenty minutes twice a day, you have found you nirvana.
A man was riding his Harley along a California beach when suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, 'Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish. '
The biker pulled over and said, 'Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can ride over anytime I want. '
The Lord said, 'Your request is materialistic, think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking; the supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that could possibly help mankind. '
The biker thought about it for a long time.
Finally, he said, 'Lord, I wish that I and all men could understand our wives; I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothing's wrong, and how I can make a woman truly happy.'
The Lord replied, 'You want two lanes or four on that bridge?
bodleing Forum Posts (13,810)
Have you ever tried to save a life?
A happy ending Claire, thats greatI bet you've shown the sea great respect since
that day.