Have you ever had a near death experience? If not, count yourself lucky, and either take my views on faith and/or consult with someone who has to compare notes. But if you had a near death experience, did it change you and/or your life perspectives afterward? And how, if so?

By the time I was an adult, I had a handful of near death experiences – diseases, escape by boat from Viet Nam, and sports injuries. They were all scary, though surviving it all sometimes made me feel a bit immortal, that I can only be hurt badly, not killed. My logic was never in doubt, though, about how any day lived could be my last from lurking impact of some injuries. Fortunately, I had the wisdom never to live any day as if it were my last, just trying to make the most of what was present each day.

I don’t know how much kids contemplate after near death experiences, but I did a lot as a new eight year old refugee in Canada. I had to, given my world changed from thinking there was just one people, one country, and a few languages, due to Vietnamese Communist brainwashing of children, to that of the world Canadians knew. I sought context to give more meaning to everything, and there’s nothing that needs more context than life and death!

After my near death experiences, I spent a lot of time thinking about my life, what I still wanted to accomplish, what I must do to make it happen, and made plans for it. As I learned more about near death experiences’ ability to change lives, I realized nothing else could inspire the same level of contemplation. Given that near death experiences didn’t kill, I concluded that a near death experience is a good thing every now and then.

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This post is one of 70 quotes I wrote, each with an accompanying essay, in my e-book and paperback Stars I Put in my Sky to Live By, on Amazon or Smashwords (choose your price including free!).