| Apparently Accident Prone [message #2468] |
Sat, 18 May 2013 10:34  |
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Sheol27
Messages: 49
Registered: April 2013
Location: Wyoming
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I better state first (So that I don't raise people's expectations of an account like in "Visions of Glory") that I have never actually died or actually even been knocked out in my life but nobody else has any posts on this thread so I felt inclined to do so but you will find out that I take after my ancestor whom fell off the St. George Temple working on it and had half his ear torn off but lived.
Last Summer, in fact the whole year previous was one of the more difficult times in my life as far as work. I had finished up building an apartment complex for my company and I was transferred to help out our partner company as they were building us another complex. The transfer was many more miles away from home and I was given multiple responsibilities on the job site as well as given many assignments to draw conceptual plans for my company who are developers. I felt overburdened and also stressed out because I was not used to the kind of corruption that I found on the job site. There was much lying, backbiting, stealing, laziness, dishonesty etc. I honestly feel that Satan had a hold of many people there and for much of it I was the only worthy priesthood holder around. I felt alone. I am not complaining. Great things happened in that time. One example was I was able to baptize my oldest son in the Sweetwater River at Martin's Cove, near Independence Rock. This is a place near where the Pioneer's had to cross that River and lives where lost. Baptizing my son there was one of my most memorable favorite experiences!
Anyways, back to the story. I felt stressed and the way I deal with stress is I have to learn more. I started studying Italian and picked it up well enough to have good reading comprehension and basic conversational skills. I also got into genealogy and started learning the ins and outs of that. (I'm still not good at it. I need divine help.) I also picked up fly fishing!
Incident #1
One of my incidents came as I was fishing right at a dam. I had waders on and was enjoying myself. I was right on the side of the dam but where the water wasn't moving fast because these concrete walls were blocking for the most part the flow of water. At this point water was flowing out of this dam at 3000-3500 cubic feet per second. I wasn't paying too much attention and I realized that I had walked into fairly deep water. My reaction was to start to walk back to shore but the back flow of the water sucked me away. Embarrassingly I screamed at my friend who was 25 feet away for help. (He is my same height and weight but it is impossible to run through 25 feet of water that fast) My waders started to fill up with water as well. Luckily the concrete wall of the dam wasn't just a straight wall but had a couple of columns I was able to grab a hold of the last possible column as the other half of my body was in the fierce flow coming right off the dam.
I just hung on a regained my strength. I gasped for air and I had a head lamp on and it was getting dark and my head lamp had attracted thousands of bugs around my head. I didn't just get air but a full meal as well. I'm fairly long so I was able to push myself from column to column back to shore.
Incident #2
This other incident I was out exploring with another friend that was a former marine. We were working on Cuttslam (A Wyoming Program where if you catch and document their 4 native species of cutthroat trout they will give you a certificate) That day we already had found the Bonneville Cutthroat and had moved onto the Salt River in search of the Snake River Fine Spotted Cutthroat Trout. We had hiked through the river and had climbed up onto this steep mountain that was on the other side of the river. We could have easily fallen off 60 feet into the river if we didn't watch our step but we needed to get back soon as well. So I was in a hurry because I wanted to get two of these rare fish in one day! I was carrying quite a bit on me and I like to walk fast as well. I had a rod in my hand, at least another one on my back along with neoprene waders on, which restricted my movement and other gear as well. I tripped over a branch and I fell hard.
You know the saying the bigger they are the harder they fall? In stature I'm the same size as Joseph and Hyrum Smith. (6'2", 200 lbs) I didn't fall face first but fell to my side. The side of my chest hit this log completely knocking the air out of me. My head was stopped by a branch that had been broken off and was jagged and very sharp. This broken branch was still connected to it's tree that had fallen and had no give what so ever. I checked my ear with my hand after I got my air back and sure enough there was blood coming from my ear. It reminded me of when that cheerleader on the show Heroes died for the first time. (Getting that branch through her head after being pushed) After a brief break I went back to fishing.....
Incident #3
This incident happened somewhat near that dam that was pushing out 3000-3500 cubic feet of water per second. I was fly fishing about 200 feet below where the water was released from the dam. (I should have probably stayed closer to where my son and friend were. Nobody could see me where I was at) My dry flies fell out of my pocket and I saw that after they were 20 feet away already but still they were costly so I went after them. They were flowing into part of the river that I hadn't waded before. I soon lost my footing and I was swept away in the river as. I was screaming for help because I had no control whatsoever. Nobody even heard! I paused in all that excitement and I looked to my right side and with the fly rod in my hand I saw that my fly was set in the water in a good place. Then in the mist of all that chaos I saw my indicator on my set up dip. In the midst of drowning I struck my rod up I high as I could out of the water and set the hook in the fish. The fish in this river are very strong due to the great food supply and the strong current. This didn't help things. The fish took off in the same direction as the current dragging me further downstream. Finally the river went around a bend and I was able climb up onto the bank and I finished landing this fish that was around a foot and a half long and as stout as a river fish can be. The ride I had went on was easily over a 100 feet. I am blessed that my waders didn't fill in with much water that time.
Morals of the story:
Yes, I should be more careful in my life. Also I believe now that God has a work for me to do. He has kept me around for a reason and that I have a duty to find out that reason and serve Him. I did at this harder time in my life turn to entertainment more than God but I have found that there is more peace, comfort and steadiness turning to God. These other distractions nearly cost me my life and didn't help me overcoming my problems/ challenges. I have learned that the Savior can help us carry our yoke and that we can withstand our trials with more peace inside when we let Him.
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