Near-death Experience gives a new Lease on Life
What’s the single word that keeps coming to mind after a near-death experience?
For me, it’s gratitude.
Have you had a near-death experience and then come out on the other side? I had one a week ago, and I can already feel it changing my life.
I was on a motorcycle ride with friends. We were headed north to
It was a perfect evening for riding – sunny, blue skies, mid 70’s, no traffic. I pulled ahead of the others and then glanced back in my rear view mirror to see where they were. I was riding somewhere near the 65 mph speed limit. I never saw it …
Hitting a deer at high speed
KAH-BOOOMPH!
My motorcycle slammed into something and pulled hard to the left. I felt a sharp pain in my left foot. The front end wobbled and the bike shuddered. I felt the bike wanting to go down on its left side.
And then an amazing thing happened …
My mind receded into the background. Things were getting so bad so fast that my brain realized it couldn’t think fast enough. Getting out of its own way was the only possible path to getting through this alive. As it did so, I was on the fast-track to reaching pure Being-ness – a space devoid of ego. I essentially had a blank mind in which thoughts and feeling could move through purely, without being tainted and manipulated by my egoic and mental processes.
In this crystalline space, I felt no fear or hesitation. And my purpose was absolutely clear: survive. From a divine place, instructions came blasting through:
“Steer right to get bike going straight again. Good. Gently slow down and watch wobble. Wobble is receding. Find cause. Look down. Fur – body – underneath motorcycle. Animal. Whatever you do, do not brake! Be with the bike and guide it forward. Engine out of control on full throttle. Kill engine. Not with key; go for kill switch. Good. Coast bike to stop …”
A quarter mile after the impact, I pulled to the highway shoulder, put down the kickstand, and got off my bike. My brain re-engaged and my Zen state vanished.
“What the frick just happened?!!!
I did a quick internal body scan to see how I was doing. Amazingly, everything was fine except for a sharp pain in my left foot. But I could walk. My jacket, pants, boots, and helmet were splattered with blood.
Janit and Karryn, on one of the two motorcycles following me, pulled up and asked me if I was okay. I said yes, then asked them if they knew what happened.
“You just ran over a deer.” I was stunned, then felt a mild shock start to sweep over. I did my best to put it in check. I wanted to concentrate on something, so I looked at my motorcycle.
The radiator was bashed in several inches. The nerf bars (a metal roll cage to protect the engine area) had buckled in and twisted to the left. The radiator grill was covered in blood, guts and fur. The left side of the motorcycle was covered in blood and entrails. But the forks looked okay, and the tire still had air. There was a small radiator leak. The engine area was hot and smelled like a barbecue.
Unbelievably, I was able to ride the motorcycle about five miles to a small station where I was able to pressure hose the bike and the radiator. From there, we finished our ride to
Reconstructing the accident and realizing my good fortune
Now, a week later, I’m looking back on what I’ve been experiencing post-accident.
I know I was lucky. I hit that deer head-on traveling at over 100 feet per second. It fell under the bike and got snagged on the frame underneath my feet. The deer, motorcycle and I skidded 150 feet before the deer’s body detached. Somehow I managed to keep the whole thing under control.
Meanwhile, the deer’s guts had exploded into the throttle area and jammed it to full acceleration. And its body had wrapped around the outside of the bike and slammed into my left foot.
I’ve a relatively new motorcyclist, and this was only my second ride of 2006. I took a motorcycle safety course (through the excellent STAR program), read a few good books on emergency motorcycle handling, and had enough mountain and road biking experience to have instilled the critical command to not slam on the brakes.
Still, I consider my self extremely fortunate to have not dropped the bike. Some of it was luck, some of it was skill, and some of it – as far as I’m concerned – was a Guardian Angel delivered by the Universe at a critical moment.
If any one of a number of things had been different – the deer had been taller or heaver, the motorcycle had a lower suspension or no roll cage around the engine, etc. – I would have either crashed or been ejected from the bike, or the deer might have cover over the top of the bike.
In the event of a crash or ejection – because I had on full riding protection - I might have been lucky to survive with some minor or major injuries; maybe die. If the deer had come over the top of the bike, I’d be dead. The impact of being hit by a deer launched over your bike usually means a broken neck.
What happens after a near-death experience?
Physically, the only injury I sustained is to my left big toe. It’s not broken, but I can’t make it move. Some toe tendons might be torn or detached. Worst case scenario, I’m looking at possible surgery. Best case scenario … it will heal on its own.
Mentally and spiritually, it’s another matter altogether.
Sometimes I deal with the wreck in my sleep – probably a way for the mind and body to process what happened. For example, this morning I had a vivid nightmare of being in a car crash:
I was backing up pickup truck onto a road near where I live when an old, blue Buick
Then I slowly woke up.
While still in that limbo land between dream state and reality, I thought, “Please, be a dream.” I slowly opened my eyes. I felt my left leg. It was elevated (to reduce swelling), and my toe throbbed in pain. Just enough stimulus to perpetuate the nightmare …
And then I realized I was probably okay, but I needed a confirmation. Still a bit groggy, I got up and looked out on my driveway. My truck was there … and it was okay. It hadn’t been in an accident. Relief.
Other times, I process it while I’m awake. Two days ago, while standing in line to order coffee, I was overcome with elation, and more than a few tears. I checked in.
“What am I feeling?”, I asked.
“Gratitude,” came the answer.
Gratitude for not being crippled or even injured very seriously. Gratitude for still being alive. Gratitude for getting a second chance at life.
I realize I’ve been given what is shaping up to be a huge gift: an event so powerful that it is forcing me to rethink – and likely recreate - my life at a fundamental level. Hey, some people are fortunate enough to know their life’s purpose right from the start. Others of us need a pretty good whack on the head to get our attention.
Those questions that are too easy to skip when life is “comfortable” come flying back on the radar screen:
- What really matters?
- Why am I (still) here?
- What gifts do I have to give?
- What is my mission and purpose?
- And how can I use this event to live my life to its fullest potential?
Greenback Lane, LLC
Turning Coaches and Consultants into Infopreneuers
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