This last week has offered me two different events that were a bit "jarring." Firstly, today, at our homeschool cooperative, there was a 21-gun salute right outside our building. I happened to be in a classroom on the back side of the building with my daughter Abigail and my friend Aliceson and her son Marshall.
Suddenly we distinctively heard three gun shots.
All four of us live in rural America so we know what gun shots sound like. Aliceson instantly went into action. She jumped up, turned off the lights, grabbed a kid who was sitting in the hallway and brought him into the room, and shut the doors. She then grabbed the phone and dialed 911.
I grabbed my phone and called Meredith down in the office. Apparently they had not heard the shots in the loud gymnasium. We then spent the next fifteen minutes trying to ascertain what had happened. Apparently the community had not been adequately prepared as 911 received 17 calls within the minutes after the salute.
Obviously, eventually, we realized what had happened, but in the meantime, you are left realizing a few things. Life changes quickly. You often aren't prepared for disasters. (I realized that Aliceson knew what to do but I was not immediately prepared for this.) Being that we are a homeschool group, we hadn't practiced what to do in these situations. You need a plan.
I also realized how different gun shots are when I hear them out on my farm (which is often) and when I hear them in the building. Big difference.
The other "big" event that I experienced occurred at the Amish Food Store, Yoder's last week. I was having a snack and a talk with Gabe's fiance, Maryah. There was an older woman and man sitting next to us. The man left the table to walk to the parking lot, and suddenly the woman said, "Could one of you sit by me?"
I didn't know what she meant. I initially thought she may have dimmentia. So I stood up and walked over to her, sat down next to her, and asked her how I could help. She whispered that she wasn't feeling good, so I sort of wrapped my arms around her and then, suddenly, realized she had passed out in my arms.
I could not reach her wrist at the same time she was in my arms, convulsing slightly. Maryah was watching nearby, but so was another middle-aged couple across the pavilion. This guy looked very strong so I asked him to come over in case she fell. On the way over, he started to call 911. Older lady wakes up and is adamantly against us calling 911. Instead she asks for a bag, Maryah hands her one, and she starts throwing up.
Her friend came back and was not concerned in the slightest. He was the most chill older man I'd ever met. We asked him if he could move the car closer, and he did so in no hurried fashion whatsoever. Big muscular guy and I were able to help the little old lady into the car.
Afterwards, big muscular guy's girlfriend told me she couldn't believe how calm I was while she was passed out and throwing up. My friend Stebbs echoed that statement when I told her the story later. Really? Freaking out didn't occur to me in that event. (Now the possible shooting situation did unnerve me a bit.)
I realized that we all have freak outs for different reasons. If someone is mad at me, Wendi might go into panic. But someone passed out in my arms? No big deal.
Kinda crazy how life works.
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