Ever panic? Ever get so angry that you did/said things things you later regretted?
Strangely enough no. I'm one of those people that reacts cool calm and collected in an emergency. A switch flips, it's very odd. I just act. Lemme tell you a quick story.
Way back in 1992 I was the life guard at the Cameron City Pool, I was working an after hours party, it was my 3rd day ever as a life guard. There were about 75 people in my pool (it was olympic sized) and the birthday boy was this young 10 year old kid. He and his friends were jumping off the diving board and seeing who could stay at the bottom the longest.
Now, being inexperienced, I was slow to react to the danger, I'll admit it. But then I used to play such pool games so....
Anyway, the birthday boy goes down, and after 30 seconds hasn't come back up. I stand up and start watching him hardcore. Hit 45 seconds, I'm concerned. I count to 60 and decide to act. Now his big sister, I think her name was lakisha, latisha? She was my friend at school, one of the cheerleaders, always trying to get me to go out with her. She says she saw me standing there, then I ripped off my tshirt, blew my whistle and commanded everyone out of the pool and dove in. I got to the kid, it was a 15 foot deep pool btw, and he was just bobbing there at the bottom, little bubbles dribbling out of his mouth. For 1 split second I had an irreverant vision of that TV show, "RESCUE 911!" and then thought stopped and focus went 100%, I grabbed him as trained and shot to the top of the water!
I broached the surface and turned towards his sister, who I had seen as I dove in, taking in everything, it's still fairly clear in my mind. I yelled "CALL 911" and she dropped the tray she was holding and ran to the pay phone at the desk/bathroom area.
I swam the kid to the side, pulled him out and laid him on the concrete, I still remember his head slipping out of my hand and thonking the concrete... oops. No pulse, no breathing. So I cleared his lungs of water, and started CPR. At the time we were taught to do breaths, I understand you're not supposed to do that now, whatever, he threw up cake into my mouth. I spit it out and kept going. Finally he started to breath and cough on his own! GLORIOUS! Just as the ambulance and sheriff showed up. I remember the pros' coming in and taking over, and Sheriff Doskasill (sp?) came over, and told me "You did good son" I said thank you Sheriff, wait... he puked in my mouth, and I turned and threw up and had the shakes. He laughed so hard at that.
That's merely one of many times I went into "Ice mode".
Since I'm bragging now, Another time, about a year later I was visiting family. My Aunt was driving, it was late and my two younger cousins were in the middle seats, I was in the back of her Trooper. My Aunt will tell you she heard me say as calm and cool as a cucumber "Nancy, pull over." She started to argue and I just said "Pull over now." in a commanding but firm voice. Well she did, and as soon as we were I hopped out, opened the door to my cousins seat, she was like 3 at the time, if that, and I tilted her head back, and did a hook and removed a piece of hotdog she was choking on. My Aunt still talks about how that scared the hell out of her and how I saved her baby girls life. I don't remember "thinking" about much in these situations, I just act.
Anyway, I hope that entertained and informed you.
