Life is a gift, you guys! Do not take it for granted. Every day you wake up, every breath you take, every moment you get to enjoy…it is all a gift!
I’ve posted memes about this countless times on my Facebook page, but sometimes situations arise that really remind me how true this is.
Last weekend, I was out mowing the lawn and doing yard work. I got stung by a bee – a yellow jacket. I had also been stung by a yellow jacket earlier in the summer, and I’ve been stung many times before that by our backyard honeybees. No big deal – or so I thought.
I went inside to run cold water over the sting, and then I rubbed honey over it since that is what has worked for me to relieve the pain the past few times I was stung. After a few moments, the pain subsided, and I decided to go back outside to put the trimmer away.
Within minutes, I was unconscious.
My last memory was stepping onto the front porch. As I neared the edge of the steps, I felt very dizzy and breathing became a little labored, although not to the point where I was scared. I knew something wasn’t right, but it all happened so fast.
In my next memory, I was tumbling down the steps…
then I remember hearing my husband run to me in a panic from the garage…
I remember telling him I was stung by a bee…
then I remember silently and calmly sitting on the bottom step praying for guidance…
I asked my husband to get me water…
I remember saying, “I’m ok,” while trying to convince him and myself that it was true…
he asked me if I could see…
I told him no…
I heard him say we needed to get to the ER…
I listened to my 18-year-old daughter dial 9-1-1…
I was in and out of consciousness in between all these memories. I have no idea how long this lasted, but by the time the ambulance arrived, thankfully I had regained full consciousness.
Five hours later, I returned home from the ER with just a bruised ankle, some steroids, an Epi-pen, and a whole lot of gratitude! I can’t stop thinking about how lucky I am!
I am grateful that my husband and daughter were right there for me…I’m grateful my throat didn’t close or my breathing never got to the point where I was scared…I’m grateful for the first responders who took amazing care of me in the ambulance and the nurses in the ER who cared for me…I’m grateful my fall down the stairs only resulted in a bruised ankle…I could go on and on about all the things I am grateful for!
Life is a gift! Every now and then, a situation arises that makes me stop and realize the truth to this. While in the moment, everything was happening so fast, and I didn’t really know what was going on. I remember being calm and having no fear while I was in the situation, and I am deeply grateful for that. The scary part is re-living the scenario in my head and thinking about what could have happened. While I’m not one to worry or to dwell on what might have been, I do think it is important whenever faced with an unfortunate situation to ask myself what lessons I learned.
So, what lessons or reminders did I take away from this? Of course, now I need to be more aware of bees and keep my Epi-pen nearby and other practical things like that, but the main reminder I got from this experience is to never take life for granted. There are many things out of our control in life, and the reality is any of our lives could end in an instant without any notice. But, there are many more things in life that are IN our control. Cultivate your precious life and spend your time dreaming, creating, helping others whenever the opportunity arises, sharing your own experiences to help others, and using your talents to make this world a better place. Life is far too short to spend time worrying about things that might happen, hating or resenting anyone, or even arguing with people who don’t share your beliefs. This situation reminds me that I CAN handle anything in the moment, and so can you. We are all survivors. Let’s never forget to live each day in gratitude!! 😊
