80 Life-or-Death Moments When Gut Feelings Became Unshakeable Lifelines
After breakfast we went down to the beach to have a look around for somewhere to find a jetski rental but before any of that could happen my Dad (a surfer of many years) saw the tide receding in a way that was completely unnatural and recognized the coming tsunami. We thought he was full of it but he was deadly serious so we raced back to the hotel where we considered running for the hills but on the consultation of another couple that recognized the impending disaster, decided to sit tight in our building (which was relatively short and stout, plus we were on the top floor).
Sure enough the tsunami came and bulldozed Phuket, although it only destroyed the lobby of our building – we were safe. I have no doubt we all would have died if my Dad hadn’t known the early signs of a Tsunami. (We were also on Phi Phi Island a couple days before that and if we had been there on Boxing Day instead we might well have died too). Just an all round crazy experience that I’m lucky to have made it out of.
One time working at a grocery store at night, I had cart duty, and had to collect all the carts from the parking lot and bring them in to the store. It was dark out and I had my headphones in, and I was looking at the ground and pushing a chain of carts, when suddenly it got darker. I stopped for a split second to wonder how it could get darker when it was already night and BAM! One of the huge 30 + feet high parking lot lights smashed onto the ground right in front of me. Hit the carts and missed me by 2 feet. The metal had rusted out and it snapped at the base. If I hadn’t stopped to wonder how it got darker I would’ve definitely died.
My mother made me meatloaf and I was super hungry. She insisted that she could reheat it for me and that she would make me some sides and brew some tea for me. Like really sounded like a great situation!
But it felt weird to me so I declined and said that I wasn’t in a meatloaf mood.
Her response, “oh well perhaps that’s for the best, I did use a lot of Worcestershire sauce when I made this.”
Worcestershire sauce is made with anchovy. And I’m allergic to fish.
My mom had a date with a guy she met on a dating site when I was in middle school. I was sick that day so she cancelled on him to take care of me. A few weeks later she saw him on the news, being arrested for murdering a lady he met on a dating site and throwing her body in the dumpster outside the restaurant my mom was supposed to meet him at. I guess I might’ve saved her life?
Few years ago went on a trip to Cuba and Mexico. Last minute decided to stay longer in Havana despite mess that hurricane Irma has left behind (few days without electricity was actually oddly amazing). We were supposed to be flying to Mexico City. Our Mexico City airbnb building collapsed during earthquake. There was no logical reason behind our decision about staying. I just proposed it and my partner agreed. Crazy.
While fishing on a large lake in Canada, we were a little more than halfway across when the wind really started picking up and a storm started rolling in. I had the choice to turn back, or head to an island with a bay.
I decided to head for the bay and just as we reached the calmer water we looked behind us and the storm had gotten worse. We were in an aluminum boat, and if we had chosen to head back, 3 of us would have drowned, no doubt in my mind. We were already taking on water and were completely drenched when we beached on the island.
Once the storm abated, we made the journey back and it still took 4 hours in high wind for a normally half hour boat trip. Warming up in the truck was the best feeling in the world after that.
Early on in my alcoholism I didnt know that withdrawals were a thing, or that they could k**l you. At one point I was drinking 2 fifths of vodka a day. Considering that my life was falling apart I decided one day to not drink. Big mistake. At first I thought I was just having a bad hangover. My heart was racing even though I wasnt moving around. I was shaking, hallucinating, going numb all over, and began wondering if I should go to the hospital. By the time I got there my heart was beating about 170 per minute while at rest. The doctors acted very quickly and I just remember being surrounded by people, them stripping me, shoving an IV in my neck, and yelling “he’s gonna seize!” After the first seizure I was so messed up they kept hitting me with ativan over and over because it wasnt working fast enough.
Later on, in the ICU, the docs told me I shouldn’t be alive and that they gave me enough ativan to put down an elephant. When I think about what would have happened had I not gone to the hospital, it makes me sad that I wasnt more educated on the dangers of quitting drinking cold turkey.
In high school at a graduation party, I had a really bad feeling about the guy me and my friends had gotten a ride there with, I’ll call him H. I didn’t know him well, but I saw him drinking and wasn’t sure how much. He was supposed to be our ride home when the party was over. My one friend said she trusted him and not to worry.
Well, I couldn’t tell myself not to worry like she could. I said again to her that I didn’t think it was safe to drive home with him. She insisted it was fine.
