What''s the bravest thing you''ve ever done?

[choro72]

Date: 3/17/2010 1:46:30 PM
Author: treefrog
4) I don''t like to talk about this one but it was bravery beyond belief for the two guys in front of me. It was a raging house fire in the middle of the night. Reports of several people trapped inside and neighbors heard screaming. There was a crew shooting water through a back door. The stairs had collapsed and the crew said there was no way in. I grabbed a roof ladder and put it up to a 2nd floor sliding window. My senior officer and another FF went up the ladder and in through the burning kitchen. As I was getting ready to enter behind them, one of the two handed me one of the children. It was too late and that''s all I can handle talking about this one.

Treefrog

My hat off to you and the two men in front of you. My heart out to the child and the family...

 

[luv2sparkle]

Wow, I am impressed by the things you all have done. I have done nothing in my life like that. I never even considered it!!

The bravest thing I have done is raise 5 kids. Sometimes, it has just about killed me.

 

[VRBeauty]

I recently intervened in a fight between three guys, one of which seemed intent on picking a fight and another of which seemed intent on being "right" no matter what the cost. It was a race-related thing. I was in my front yard when it started across the street, and all I could think was "oh no... you don''t get to create an ugly scene over some stupid comment in MY neighborhood." It got physical. I pushed back and got shoved, one of the guys was pushed to the ground, but nobody got hurt and as far as I know, nobody felt a need to get revenge. It wasn''t a particularly smart thing for me to do (especially since these guys were probably in their late 20''s-30''s, and one was really buff, and I''m nearing my dotage and anything but) but I feel good about the outcome anyway.

 

[Indylady]

Date: 3/17/2010 7:31:07 PM
Author: Maisie

Date: 3/17/2010 7:05:27 PM

Author: princesss

Oh - I forgot this! I was really scared leading up to it, but really calm once we got to the temple. Totally at peace. But when I actually thought about it I was kind of horrified at the idea!


(Btw - he was one of several)

Now thats amazing!!!!

WOW!

 

[princesss]

Date: 3/17/2010 10:10:30 PM
Author: IndyLady

Date: 3/17/2010 7:31:07 PM

Author: Maisie

Date: 3/17/2010 7:05:27 PM


Author: princesss


Oh - I forgot this! I was really scared leading up to it, but really calm once we got to the temple. Totally at peace. But when I actually thought about it I was kind of horrified at the idea!



(Btw - he was one of several)

Now thats amazing!!!!

WOW!

LOL! Yeah, I''m kind of amused that I didn''t think of this earlier.

Somehow, giving blood is still scarier. (And thank you for your post, Maisie, it''s nice to feel that support. I know I need to do it, but that doesn''t take the fear away!)

 

[Haven]

I honestly can''t think of any truly brave things I''ve done.

My tongue in cheek response is this:

I chaperoned a student trip to Greece with 42 high school students.
I think that counts more as "crazy" than brave, though.

 

[PumpkinPie]

amazing picture Princess! what a beautiful cat

 

[PumpkinPie]

This is a hard question to answer - bravery can take so many forms - anything from Paragliding in Switzerland (would love to try that again) to sitting with a friend or client who is in terrible emotional pain.

 

[charbie]

Date: 3/17/2010 6:53:55 PM
Author: portia
I think the bravest thing I''ve done is the multi-pitch trad rock climbing I used to do with my DH and BIL. Thinking about some of those climbs still makes my hands sweat!

That''s scary. I went and climbed trad with a friend of mine a few years ago....all I could think was, "well crap, dan. I must really really trust you!"

 

[charbie]

I used to be a real adventurer, but I recall one time when I was in training to be a whitewater rafting guide and the river was reallynreally high, so the rapids were HUGE and we weren''t supposed to stay on the river bc it was too high and fast. Well, we went anyway, and I had never been more scared, knowing that one wrong move and we were dead.

Also, I went sky diving once...I don''t think id do it again!

 

[vc10um]

I asked A on our first date.

 

[IdLikeToBuyAVal]

Two months after I turned 16, my house was broken into while I was home alone. It was early in the morning and I was getting ready for school. I heard the guy knocking on the front door but didn''t know the car and didn''t answer. I heard the glass break in the front door and adrenaline/autopilot took over and I confronted him with a rifle. He fled.

I''m still paranoid about checking locks but it totally changed my perspective on life. Life is what you make of it. I believe you can''t just sit back and let things happen TO you, you have to make them happen for yourself.

 

[jewelz617]

Date: 3/17/2010 10:51:48 PM
Author: IdLikeToBuyAVal
Two months after I turned 16, my house was broken into while I was home alone. It was early in the morning and I was getting ready for school. I heard the guy knocking on the front door but didn''t know the car and didn''t answer. I heard the glass break in the front door and adrenaline/autopilot took over and I confronted him with a rifle. He fled.


I''m still paranoid about checking locks but it totally changed my perspective on life. Life is what you make of it. I believe you can''t just sit back and let things happen TO you, you have to make them happen for yourself.

Oh my! Something similar happened to me, but I wasn''t face to face with the guy. I was staying at my grandparents for the summer and they kept a lot of valuables in their separate garage. One night my cousin and I were there by ourselves while the adults were out to dinner. We were in the den watching t.v. and all the lights were out, and when I glanced out the window someone was on the ROOF of the garage trying to hack their way in. I was only 12 years old at the time and like a moron, I ran outside and yelled "GET OUT OF HERE, OR I''LL SHOOT!"

The guy took off, but my parents were livid. I mean, what if he had a gun, you know? I still think about that and shake my head. It was so stupid, and I just got lucky.

So you thought much better than I did in crisis

 

[charbie]

Date: 3/17/2010 10:51:48 PM
Author: IdLikeToBuyAVal
Two months after I turned 16, my house was broken into while I was home alone. It was early in the morning and I was getting ready for school. I heard the guy knocking on the front door but didn''t know the car and didn''t answer. I heard the glass break in the front door and adrenaline/autopilot took over and I confronted him with a rifle. He fled.


I''m still paranoid about checking locks but it totally changed my perspective on life. Life is what you make of it. I believe you can''t just sit back and let things happen TO you, you have to make them happen for yourself.

Oh wow! That''s amazing! Our home was robbed a year ago, however we weren''t home at the time, it was in the middle of the day. I felt so violated, and I didn''t even see the people who did it! That''s one brave thing you did!

 

[wsu12]

I contacted the EEOC and took a former employer to mediation for Sexual Harassment. He brought a legal team, I brought my mom. I was so bullied and terrified that my entire body was shaking.

I give blood every month.

Two weeks ago I found a woman that I was a real ''pill'' to in college and apologized out of the blue to her. I have felt sham and embarrassment for 10 years surrounding how I treated her. The peace and resolution that I feel now is wonderful.

 

[luvinlife]

The story is a bit long and I try not to think about as it scares the hell out me....
I was on a second date with my then boyfriend....
We went white water rafting....
We were sitting in the front of the boat....
The boat hit a rock....
He was propelled out of the boat....
He hit a rock with his head and fell into the water....
I jumped out of the boat and dove in after him....
I dragged him into the boat...( I have no idea how....I weigh 95 lbs, he weighs 180lbs)
I did CPR until teh boat was accessible to the ambulance....

The happy ending is that I married that fabulous man last July.

 

[wsu12]

Date: 3/18/2010 12:58:50 AM
Author: luvinlife
The story is a bit long and I try not to think about as it scares the hell out me....

I was on a second date with my then boyfriend....

We went white water rafting....

We were sitting in the front of the boat....

The boat hit a rock....

He was propelled out of the boat....

He hit a rock with his head and fell into the water....

I jumped out of the boat and dove in after him....

I dragged him into the boat...( I have no idea how....I weigh 95 lbs, he weighs 180lbs)

I did CPR until teh boat was accessible to the ambulance....

The happy ending is that I married that fabulous man last July.

Great story! Isn''t it funny how when put in situations like that woman can muster up amazing physical strength?

 

[yssie]

Every single one of these stories is really amazing.

 

[oddoneout]

There are some amazing, brave people on this board.

 

[Sabine]

Wow, I feel like mine pale in comparison to what''s on here!

For me, it was choosing to study abroad in Barbados during college. I had never been out of the country and am not one for big changes, but I remember so clearly getting a flier about it, going to the interest meeting, and signing up to do it without allowing myself to let my nerves about spending 4.5 months in another country with total strangers convince me not to do it.

We''re going through something similar now with my husband being in the Navy. We''re considering requesting to go outside the US for our next move, and I''m similarly nervous about it!

I also feel like being a high school teacher was brave. There were days when I had to stand up to teenagers screaming in my face, threatening me, etc., and I had to do things that made them very mad, like failing them if they didn''t do the work, giving them detention, etc. and I definitely had some students with emotional problems who I honestly was scared of, but I had to act tough like nothing they did or said phased me.

 

[Lynnie]

Wow, you all are some brave folks! I agree, these stories are amazing!

Being a nurse, I''ve been in a number of life & death situations. Done CPR, initiated code blues... sometimes the outcomes are good, sometimes not.


I had a patient one time who had a vascular bypass surgery on his leg. I remember him so well, he was one of those patients that really made an impression. Super nice. I had him two nights in a row, and everything was fine. Third night, he got extremely confused and started saying some really off-the-wall things, getting super agitated. Turns out he was a closet drinker, and drank a pint of whiskey a day

. He hadn''t told the doctors, so no meds were on board for his withdrawl from alcohol. I have never seen a person do a complete 180 like that. He became violent. He pulled out his IV''s, claiming "The jig is UP!!! This game is OVER!!" He got a hold of one of my co-worker''s ponytail and wouldn''t let go. It was literally like a 6 on one wrestling match in that room. He wasn''t a lightweight, either... like 6''6", 300lbs. We finally managed to get him held down in the bed (by this time, Security was there). The resident doc ordered ativan, which I gave him via a big shot in the booty, him cursing me the entire time. Finally (after enough shots) he calmed down.
So at the end of my shift, I overhear a commotion at his room. The attending doctor was reaming out the resident for giving him ativan. In the hallway, in front of a boatload of people. I don''t know what came over me, because I am usually a very calm and quiet person - I HATE confrontation, and usually avoid it at all costs. But I marched up to that attending and tore her a new one. I wish I had it recorded... how dare she berate this doctor, who did the right thing. The man was a danger to himself and us. How unprofessional for her to holler at her in front of all these people.
This is a very well respected attending at my hospital. People still talk about it, two years later. And I still can''t believe I actually did it.

Wow, this turned out to be long.

Anyway, crazy man apologized profusely once he was with it again.

 

[treefrog]

Date: 3/17/2010 8:15:36 PM
Author: choro72

Date: 3/17/2010 1:46:30 PM
Author: treefrog
4) I don''t like to talk about this one but it was bravery beyond belief for the two guys in front of me. It was a raging house fire in the middle of the night. Reports of several people trapped inside and neighbors heard screaming. There was a crew shooting water through a back door. The stairs had collapsed and the crew said there was no way in. I grabbed a roof ladder and put it up to a 2nd floor sliding window. My senior officer and another FF went up the ladder and in through the burning kitchen. As I was getting ready to enter behind them, one of the two handed me one of the children. It was too late and that''s all I can handle talking about this one.

Treefrog

My hat off to you and the two men in front of you. My heart out to the child and the family...

Thank you.

 

[Natylad]

Very well done treefrog...respect...

 

[elrohwen]

Princess, that pic is amazing!!

 

[jewelerman]

work in retail!

 

[elrohwen]

Definitely whitewater rafting. I fell out once, and the whole boat tipped over later. It wasn''t life treatening or anything, but I was only 12 and really scared. Won''t ever be doing that again! Though maybe it doesn''t count as brave since I did it without knowing what I was getting into

Some people consider riding horses brave. I''ve jumped, but I can''t say I''ve done anything terrifying. Still, start again as an adult I realize how brave and fearless I was as a kid. Even a 2'' jump is much scarier now!

 

[luvinlife]

Date: 3/18/2010 12:38:21 PM
Author: jewelerman
work in retail!

I smiled when I read this one!

 

[luvinlife]

Sabine,

Hi! I was in the Navy. One of my regrets was not going overseas as one my duty stations. If I had to do it again, I''d do it in a heartbeat!

Date: 3/18/2010 9:20:02 AM
Author: Sabine
Wow, I feel like mine pale in comparison to what''s on here!

For me, it was choosing to study abroad in Barbados during college. I had never been out of the country and am not one for big changes, but I remember so clearly getting a flier about it, going to the interest meeting, and signing up to do it without allowing myself to let my nerves about spending 4.5 months in another country with total strangers convince me not to do it.

We''re going through something similar now with my husband being in the Navy. We''re considering requesting to go outside the US for our next move, and I''m similarly nervous about it!

I also feel like being a high school teacher was brave. There were days when I had to stand up to teenagers screaming in my face, threatening me, etc., and I had to do things that made them very mad, like failing them if they didn''t do the work, giving them detention, etc. and I definitely had some students with emotional problems who I honestly was scared of, but I had to act tough like nothing they did or said phased me.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 3/18/2010 9:20:02 AM
Author: Sabine
Wow, I feel like mine pale in comparison to what''s on here!


For me, it was choosing to study abroad in Barbados during college. I had never been out of the country and am not one for big changes, but I remember so clearly getting a flier about it, going to the interest meeting, and signing up to do it without allowing myself to let my nerves about spending 4.5 months in another country with total strangers convince me not to do it.


We''re going through something similar now with my husband being in the Navy. We''re considering requesting to go outside the US for our next move, and I''m similarly nervous about it!


I also feel like being a high school teacher was brave. There were days when I had to stand up to teenagers screaming in my face, threatening me, etc., and I had to do things that made them very mad, like failing them if they didn''t do the work, giving them detention, etc. and I definitely had some students with emotional problems who I honestly was scared of, but I had to act tough like nothing they did or said phased me.

I feel the same way Sabine! I wish I had been brave enough to do a semester abroad, but I chickened out of looking into it further. Part of it was that it didn''t seem like something that a ton of kids did at the school I went to. I''m not sure why I let that factor in. The other reason I didn''t do it was because I didn''t want to be that far away from friends and family for that long. I regret it though.

 

[zoebartlett]

Oh and yes, being a high school teacher is very brave! I could never do it. My mom''s a HS teacher/administrator, and I can''t imagine working with the big kids.

I had forgotten about this, but I did spend a summer in another country when I was in high school. I lived with a family whose relatives had recently moved to the US when the husband got a job here. It''s funny that I didn''t think anything of living in another country when I was 15 but I couldn''t manage to do it in my early twenties.