Hugh,
I wanted to reaffirm a couple of points from these excellent, objective observations and guidance:
- CPR – I fully concur. I am 0 for 2 performing CPR.
- Optimism. My mother, still alive at age 83, has been through the following:
- Bedridden for over a year as a child with rheumatic fever
- Mentally and verbally abusive husband (Sorry, Dad, but it’s true)
- 10lb tumor removed at age 47, full rounds of chemo, full recovery
- Still a Democrat and liberal, in the face of all the facts
Lesson: Optimism trumps pessimism.
- Fight first, treat later. I fully concur; been there, done that!
- Humor is essential to survival.
– Gadfly
HJL Comments: CPR is only a temporary measure until a defibrillator can be accessed. With the cost of automatic units now in the $1000 range, everyone should have one in their preps. These are what really save lives.
o o o
HJL,
Regarding fierceness and determination, I have heard this story many times albeit with a bit of a different twist. Here is my version:
There are men in this world who will make you believe that they will be the heroes in any and all given moments. Take a moment and reflect on this. Place a 15-passenger van in a parking lot full of NFL football players. (Pick any sport; my favorite is hockey). These are men who represent toughness and meanness against a clearly defined enemy to achieve a goal. Now take a 1-lb tree squirrel and toss him in the van. The madness you will see will be on both sides, including the shear disregard for each other as they hurl out of the van in a desperate need of escape. The wild screams of what certainly would be considered those of teenage girls if only heard from a distance, and then there is the squirrel, all one pound of him, standing on the back of the seat twitching his tails in victory. Ask yourself how? How can such a thing happen? The squirrel knew his fate the second he was tossed in the van. His only desire was to live. That wild unadulterated desire and pure madness of need was all it took to claim the siege! – C.J.