TO DEPRESSED TO POST!

TO DEPRESSED TO POST! Do not read if you are happy!

I have had a run of very very good days, mentally, Spiritually, and even physically. Things were looking very bright.

Then I made a fatal mistake! I went to do some banking, which in and of iteslf was not so bad.

The People at both Branch's were awesome. As a matter of fact- almost everyone I ran into or saw- despite the very inclement weather were in good spirits. So what was the fatal mistake?

I went out at 3:00, and at 5:00 I still had about 50% of my chores left to do. In this small town that funnels about 20-30 thousand cars through a city built to handle about 5,00 during rush hour: correction: HOURS. You can get frustrated quickly! It generally lasts from School dismissal at 3:15 till after 6:30 pm.

I WAS STILL IMPRISONED IN WALLY WORLD AFTER DRIVING VERY DEFENSIVELY, AND WHITE KNUCKLED FOR THE LAST 3 HOURS!

I usually have a great time browsing through Sporting Goods, while waiting for Rx's, to be filled, pick up the Milk & Bread--peruse Electronics for DVD's...(I never buy any but I love to look!)  Wait- I surprised my wife with the first years episode of Bones...for 13 bucks.  Even I know that's not bad--22 episodes, and the few minutes I've seen of it, I actually think I may like it...... I even stopped at Chik-Fil-A: a rare treat for Supper to take home. They bez expensive!

I arrived home, beat the worst of the traffic, (I have a scheme to catch all lights and make all left turns--(kinda Nascarish), and it works very well. As I opened the car door the rain started, heavily, with tons more forecast. And we desperately need it. And I had beaten it home!

OK OK, John, so what the  blank  is the problem.

I WATCHED THE NEWS!

LOCAL- THEN NATIONAL. HUGE MISTAKE!

I usually can take the News in stride, and do not watch MSNBC nor Fox- 24-7. I watch enough just to stay abreast, and make sure I didn't miss the End of the World, The Rupture, or anything else important.

The National News:

1. BP OIL SPILL

2. DIMINISHING WETLANDS OCCURRING NATURALLY IN LOUISIANA

3. ECONOMIC IMPACT ON LOCAL FISHERMAN: WHO WANT TO WORK!

4. FLOODING IN TENNESSEE

5. POTENTIAL CAR BOMB IN NY.

HOWEVER IT WAS THE LOCAL NEWS THAT WAS WORSE TO ME:

1. AN F-1 TORNADO IN A SMALL RURAL AREA TEARS UP NICE FARM

2. LOCAL SHERIFF RESIGNS AMIDST CRACK, COCAINE SELLING SCANDAL

3.BOATING ACCIDENT ON LAKE MURRAY.

This is where I'll have to stop. There were several more death's, homicides, and several other POSITIVE (not) stories on tonight's news. Boy, bad stuff sells does it not?

But, This Lake is HOME! 

It is not the Lake you saw the fishing pictures on. It is prettier! It is mine!

4 young adults died last night in Boating accidents!

We may have 4-5 deaths a YEAR on this lake-, almost always children, and almost always from Drowning.

Terrible Tradgedies!

The season hasn't officially started, and we lost 4 young people, in 30 minutes last night. 

Not to mention all the lives, affected by this tragedy.

2 Separate accidents, 30 minutes apart on different areas of the Lake. This is a BIG Lake.  These accidents happened within 30 minutes and within 1 mile of each other!

Guy's, this is freaky! I've been on that Lake A LOT since age 18, and not even a near miss!

I can understand the numbers going up, with all of the Personal Watercraft increasing, and the sheer numbers of people on the Lake. You literally take your life in your hands in certain areas, and Coves on a weekend in the Summer.

I'm sure most have already thought: Alcohol or drugs.  It is usually the first thing that hits my mind, but that's the old Paramedic in me. So, I thought the same thing, having boated on that lake since 1972. And yes, a lot of the times I was impaired, (way back when)...but I wasn't driving.  But It doesn't matter.....our County now has a boat staffed with Paramedics, full time for the Richland County side of the Lake on weekends, if that tells you anything about the amount of traffic......

2 Female's , one 23, and one, a 25 year old visiting from Alabama, were killed in one accident involving 2 boats and 6 people total.  2 out of 6 dead! 

30 minutes later, about 1 MILE from the first- 2 males, both in their 20's were killed in a separate accident involving 2 boats, and 7 people total!

2 out of 5 dead--unknown other injuries. (1 died later at a local Hospital.)

Total- 4 out of 13 dead! or  30.7% !

Why would I figure out the percentage???

I don't know about you, but I remember vividly, being Indestructible, Invincible, and Impervious; to anything but the female form- and Southern Comfort, in my 20's! A full life ahead, and living moment to moment. So I imagine it was with these young people!

Finishing a great meal at a Local Marina, laughing, playing "remember when", and creating new memories as this night went on. Friends, and possibly some, meeting for the first time. Living Large. 

Dying in an Instant!

Leaving the Marina without a care in the 

world, other than the anticipation of a wonderful night, week, Summer, Year, Life...ahead.

For Lainey Bullard, a picture taken just hours before a deadly boat crash on Lake Murray is the last memento she'll have of her sister, Kelli. Kelli and three others were killed in two separate crashes on the lake Sunday afternoon. (courtesy of State Newspaper.)

Kelli, had just done her younger sisters hair for her prom.



The Department of Natural Resources said the unrelated accidents happened between the Lake Murray Marina and the Lighthouse Marina on the Richland County side of the lake. Both accidents happened between 10-11:00pm, according to McCullough. The second accident happened about a mile away from the first.
McCullough said four boats and 13 people were involved in the two separate accidents. In the second wreck, two men were in one boat and three in the other. Matthew Howk, 21, died in the wreck, and another man was taken to the hospital with critical injuries, but died overnight, McCullough said.

There have now been eleven boating fatalities in South Carolina this year, but DNR says this is the first fatal boat wreck in Lake Murray of 2010.

NICE START TO THE SUMMER HUH?

Now that you are probably as depressed as I, I bid you goodnight. I'll be up all night, with a Terrified Lab, who sits and stares into a corner, and trembles during Thunderstorms. It breaks my heart, and not even her "Medicine" helps her that much. Maybe I'll take it tonight, and we'll sit, stare and tremble together.

Writing this out helped.... not much, but a little.......

This is the reason I quit Paramedic-ing, and went back to Urgent Care...where the acuity isn't quite as high as the Street, or the ER! I didn't want to see Death any more......I'm getting very soft in my old age.

I used to be a Trauma junky--the worse, the more critical, the better...and I was good! Fact- not Inflated Opinion....it was, and is, what I do best in this world. I miss it like crazy, and yet- I'm terrified by it at the same time now. What changed? I know it was something inside me..something Spiritual-something on a MUCH higher level than I was used to. It's what changed me so dramatically! It's WHO changed me so personally....I wonder why? Did I ask? Did it just happen? One thing I do know-- Happen it did- at least to me! I completely changed from the Inside out! Others noticed it first, then I.... weird huh?

But it sure beats the jaded, hard person I used to be, HAD to be, to handle the Streets! Oh, the jokes that would have flown over this......oh, yes--we would have laughed and cajoled...surprises a lot of people.....but it was:

to Cover up the Crying! We weren't so macho after all!

JMc