When I Was Ten Years Old, I Fell out of a Tree and Died...
I fell out of a tree, when I was ten years old.
Perhaps that sounds like an unremarkable event, but let's consider that I was about 25 feet (7.5 meters) up an old pine tree at the time I fell.
My ascent towards the top of the tree was going quite well when a couple of unfortunate things happened: The branch stump that was carrying all the weight on my right foot (while my left foot was seeking purchase further up) turned out to be more rotten than I'd thought and sheared cleanly off. As all my weight shifted to my hands, the thin branch in my left hand-- fine as a temporary handhold, but not up to supporting the majority of my weight-- also gave way and next thing you know, I found myself in free fall.
Going DOWN...
Yellow flowers
I've heard it said that "time slows down" when you're in a life threatening situation-- I can only partially agree with that. In one sense, it did seem like it took me a long time to reach the ground, on the other hand everything also happened so fast it seemed like little more than a blur.
I fell slightly away from the tree trunk, and was basically going down with my back towards the ground. I tried to grab something-- anything-- but it was going way too fast.
About eight feet above ground, the small of my back connected with another partial branch stump maybe 5 feet long-- this one definitely not as rotten, but rotten enough to give way with a loud CRACK that felt like an explosion going through my body. There was no pain, just the sense of "impact."
When I hit the ground, a split second later, there was no sound... just a feeling like I'd suddenly been hit from behind by a freight train, knocking all the wind out of me along with a sharp pain to the back of my head.
Meanwhile, not so Close by...
Tiny blue flowers
My parents were working on clearing brush on a plot of land they'd recently bought in a newly developed neighborhood and were at least half a mile away. I knew my friend Henrik was somewhere in the woods nearby; we'd gone off to play "jungle explorers" in this forested area that adjoined the development.
I tried to call for him, but found that I had no voice at all. I could move my lips, but no sound came. I could taste something in my mouth-- salty, metallic-- blood? It was blood! I remembered the taste from the time I cut my finger with my pocketknife.
I also couldn't breathe and it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I still didn't really feel any pain, so I had to be OK-ish, at least and decided I would be "brave" and not freak out quite yet-- Henrik would surely come and find me at any moment.
Descent into Darkness... and Light
It was the middle of the day, but the woods seemed "strange," somehow. It was almost as if there were no sounds, or the sounds were extremely muffled.
Blooming "Red Hot Poker"
And then there was the light. The light was "odd," like the sun shining in through bare trees from a low angle in winter-- except it was June, and early afternoon. It also felt like it was getting darker behind me... which was actually below me, as I was on my back on the ground, but my perspective was shifting and I was sitting up and looking forwards. I couldn't remember sitting up. I could only remember not being able to move.
For a moment, I tried to make sense of that, but it didn't seem terribly important. It seemed more important that the darkness appeared to be thickening around me and and I felt a strong sensation that it would be a "good idea" for me to move towards the setting sun that didn't really seem like a setting sun.
Now THIS Doesn't Make Sense Anymore...
I was not prepared for what happened when I stood up.
It was as if the mere act of standing moved my head 50 feet off the forest floor and I was suddenly looking at a strange diorama of myself lying on the ground under the big pine tree in the woods. It startled me enough that I tried to sit back down... which also felt very strange, like I was suddenly sitting on a sheet of glass, above myself.
Blooming English lavender
At this point I became a little scared, but it was as if there was a voice in my head saying "Don't worry. There's nothing to be afraid of." I was peripherally aware that I should feel scared, and yet I just felt warm and very calm.
Help is on the Way... Finally
Moments later, I felt a sense of relief, because it seemed like people were coming from the direction of the setting sun. I figured it was probably my dad and Henrik-- he must have seen me fall and gone to get help. I couldn't really make them out- they just seemed like billowy figures in the light, which seemed very bright. I also heard voices, but they were very hard to make out, except for one who said "It's very sad. It's really not the right time."
Then I heard my name being said nearby-- and it just kept getting louder and louder and LOUDER... and I was thinking "no need to shout, I'm right here!"
There was this strange feeling that I-- to this day-- can't quite describe. It felt like all the air being sucked out of a room, a rush of sound, then the air coming back in and my ears... a "roar of silence" like you feel when you're outside after a particularly loud concert... and then a face was coming towards mine.
I tried to blink my eyes to clear them and then I was suddenly looking into my dad's face, about two feet from mine, with Henrik and my mom standing close by. My back felt like someone was holding a hot poker to it.
Epilogue...
Years later, I have determined that I probably "lost" about 12-15 minutes that day.
Swarming seagulls at sunset
Henrik had been some distance away and heard the cracks of breaking branches and my fall, but it took him a few minutes to find me as I didn't respond when he called. Then there was the time it would have taken him to run 1/3 mile to the land where my parents were working, and for them to come back with him to where I had fallen.
My father knew basic CPR from having been in the air force during WWII and he claimed I had no pulse when they found me. But here's the strange part-- he felt certain I "jump started my own heart" before he could start CPR... and I just "came to" on my own.
This incident happened long before cell phones (1970) so there would have been no calling 911 from the spot. It was also before a time when most private individuals knew "what to do" when a potential injury had taken place.
More strangeness: I actually stood up and walked out under my own steam-- in a fair bit of pain-- but essentially OK. Off to the emergency room we went, but all that seemed wrong with me was some considerable bruising on my back, a big knot on the back of my head and a cut on the inside of my cheek where I'd bitten myself on impact. The attending physician said I had been "extremely lucky."
To this day, however, I lack flexibility in my back. Sometimes I also "sense" things I can't quite explain, but that's a whole different story.
How about YOU? Have you ever had an experience or injury that left you permanently wondering what happened to some minutes of your life? Did something happen that didn't make sense, or that you couldn't-- and still can't-- explain? Have you ever been clinically dead and brought back to life? Do you think so-called "Near Death Experiences" are a real thing? Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- join the conversation!
Note: This post is part of @merej99's "Community Engagement Challenge." For more information, please read the original announcement on her profile page!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170711 16:45 PDT
I do definitely believe in Near Death Experiences. My own was not as dramatic, and I really do not remember much as I was only around 2 years of age at the time. It is the only experience I can recall from that age. It happened at a time I was convulsing from very high fever. My parents rushed me to the hospital and I remember being pushed down a hallway lying face up on a table with wheels. I suddenly encountered a very bright light that was pleasant to look at even though it was extremely bright. I remember feeling very peaceful while I was in the presence of the light. Then, suddenly, the bright pleasant light disappeared only to be replaced by the harsh examination light of what must have been the ER. I cried in pain, and there the memory ends. My parents later told me the doctor had said I had a slim chance of survival and that if I did survive the ordeal I would most likely be a vegetable. But, I pulled through and I do not consider myself a vegetable. I've spent years trying to make sense of the experience. All I can say is I believe I had a very early contact with The Divine Source...and it was beautiful while it lasted.
I love these stories of contact with the Divine! Thank you for taking the time and sharing it.
You are welcome linasymonds. Glad to have found this opportunity to share it. Something I don't talk about much with most people. :-)
Thanks for sharing your story @fraterralph; impressive that you remember as much as you do, from age just two. I do believe these events change us, somehow... whether it's towards feeling more gratitude for the small daily things, or a deeper faith in the Divine... or something else.
Technically speaking, the above was my second NDE... I was also stillborn (managed to wrap the umbilical cord around my neck and strangled myself to death on the way out) and had no pulse for the first 6-7 minutes of my "life." According to my mother, they almost "declared" me, but then I decided to live.
To this day, I get creeped out by any clothing that feels tight on my neck.
I have never been able to make sense of seeing "a sunset" when I fell out of that tree... it was about 1:30pm in the afternoon, in midsummer. The sun is high above... not at the horizon.
These experiences do definitely change us. With me I always had a hunger for spiritual things that the rest of my family could not understand. I explored religion for a great many years, then came to realize it was the Spirituality that mattered, not necessarily the religion.
Interesting that you "died" during birth, survived that and then went on to almost die again at age 10. Sounds like Somebody up there really like you! I think we are all on a mission, each in their own way. Interesting shares. :-)
I am a spiritual person, but I have mostly rejected religion. Of course, this is only my personal take, but spirituality was about my relationship with the Divine... religion, on the other hand, was about a bunch of humans claiming to represent the Divine on my behalf. Perhaps "well" sometimes, but mostly (it seemed) for their own interest and benefit.
Exactly! It took me 45 years to see that point. I see it as spirituality being one's relationship to the Divine, and religion (sometimes based on the Spirituality and experiences of a key founder) as being a list of rules and regulations governing the faithful. I know in my case I confused religion for spirituality for many years until I finally broke away from religion and rediscovered that original relationship of so long ago.
Really toutching story and lucky u made it... bad fall.
I fell down a ladder on a boat oce when I was about 10 and it was pitch black......
So when I heard my parents talking and they helped me to sit up I asked them to turn the light.....
And when they said that the light Was on.... I got really scared cause it was still pitch black.
Why cant I see?
At the hospital they told us I had a bad conccussion and it was really swollen......
Luckely 2 days later the swollen got down and I saw a little that day....little bit more next etc
So I was lucky not to stay blind. That was scary
and it made me greatfull for life in a different way.
Everytime I see a blind person I wonder.....is he/her blind from burth or from an accident like me.....so scary.
Thx for this post. Upvoted
Thanks for your comment @saffisara! That must have been a very scary thing, to not be able to see, suddenly... I can't even imagine. Thankfully, you got your sight back.
I think when we experience something like this, it changes us; our perspective on life becomes coloured by our experience... perhaps we feel more empathy than before.
Ur welcome :0) U are so right I think it changes
us and u realise how lucky u are and to apriciate things in a better way.
Thx for sharing and for comment :0)
Have a great day!
That was a bit scary to read , going through each moment , and it is interesting to hear about such experiences NDEs/OBEs. For me things like that tend to re-enforce the belief that we are more than just our physical bodies , whether one chooses to call it your soul or mind or consciousness. So thank you for sharing that story :)
Personally , I believe I've had an OBE when I was pretty young , although not nearly as dramatic or life threatening as your experience. For me it was very brief , I was playing around with a few other kids and at one point I wound up getting hit in the face with a bat (a plastic one tho) , thrown at me from a small distance. Next thing I know , I'm looking at myself rolling on the ground holding my face. After that it gets a bit blurry. And I remember my dad telling of a similar experience he had in a car accident , where he was looking down on himself at one point.
Glad you enjoyed it @betelzeus... it was an interesting "revisit" for me to write it.
I always tend to put more stock in NDEs we have as children, or described by children, because what comes out tends to not be filtered by the learning and reading we do as adults... which sways the story in directions we may want to believe, rather than just sticking to the descriptive. It's a different experience... I know (for example) that I took a kick to the face during a soccer game when I was 19 but I just blacked out (even though it "felt like I died") for a minute or so.
@denmarkguy, happy to see you as one of the participants in the Challenge! Thanks for sharing that crucial for you moment. Climbing trees was one of my most favorite exercises as a kid. Fortunately I didn't had the 'honor' to experience something like that and I'm pretty happy about that..
Thanks @steemfluencer, it's fun to be part of this... I'm hoping more initiatives like this can help promote more community involvement, and more of a general "pay it forward" mindset... I'm seeing disturbingly many people now getting all involved in upvoting themselves rather than spreading the wealth around.
And we could also create some of the next ones..
Wow your story send shivers down my spine. I think I stopped breathing the whole time I was reading. There's this fictional show on Netflix called The OA that explores what happens, where you 'go' when you're dead but then come back to life. Probably one of the best shows I've ever seen.
Thanks @jaymorebeat... my wife is a big fan of the OA. She's one of the world's rare "multiple NDE" survivors (clinically, hospital settings) and it has left her with off the charts ESP/PSI abilities. She says "quite a bit" of those types of things are real...
I too fell from a great height up an old oak tree. Anyone from the Pacific Northwest is familiar with moss, it grows on everything. Rain makes it like a sponge. It seemed like an eternity to the bottom but I felt every branch. Part of being a kid is finding out the hard way not to do things the dumb way.
Steem On!
Yep, I live in the Pacific Northwest... and I'm well familiar with moss, and how it becomes when things get wet. I guess some of it is just part of being a kid... we think we're invincible and immortal... till we learn otherwise.
I definitely am a believer in these types of experiences and am fascinated by them. I was caught up in your story the entire time! Would love to hear more about what you can "sense" now after the fact.
Thanks for the kind words @thesimplelife. As for what I sense, I mostly have premonitions and sometimes prophetic dreams that are remarkably accurate. Because I have kept a dream journal for almost 20 years, I can actually "back check" when things happen and feel familiar.
Very interesting! I wonder...do you feel blessed or cursed by that gift?
Great writing @denmarkguy. very easy to read and follow along. I did not experience any "near death" experience and sorry you did. At least you made it with minor aches. Have a great day!
Thanks @sgnsteems! It was just all strange... I never could make much sense of it-- I almost died (was "technically" dead for 10? minutes) yet not seriously injured.
I ever had experience crushing by truck. I aware that truck hit me, and only could say in my mind "Oh, my God, I got crush with this truck!". Then blank....luckily I still alive. And the front truck tire only 50 cm ahead from my face. Anyway thank you for sharing.
Wow @happyphoenix, that must have been a very frightening experience, as well! Did you have bad injuries from this, or the truck stopped far enough away to make it not so bad?
I have bad injuries on the leg and ankle (I can not get up from my bed properly for three days), gladly the truck not too fast (around 50-60 Km/hour). Gladly I put on my helmet, actually my back head hit the road. :)
Good that you were wearing a helmet, then-- perhaps that saved your life.
I love the story and how you tell it. The only question moments I have are from getting blackout drunk. Crashed an ATV at 15, put it up on a stump doing 40mph+, luckily I kept my hand on the gas when I flew over the bars, else I'd have hit the tree in front of me. My wrist was pretty mangled. I'll never forget the speed and slow motion of the crash, your description of falling reminded me of it.
Thank you @bleedpoet. That must have been a pretty scary moment.
I think these moments stay with us the way they do because for a brief moment we get such huge jolts of adrenaline that we almost become something "other than human" for a split second. Like those stories we hear where someone can lift a car off a person who's pinned... but they are not actually that strong.