Life is all about risk, and it's somehow inevitable as long as you choose to live. Leaving the house and returning home every day is a huge blessing because within that time we were outside, a lot of things happened, and sometimes these things were just beyond our control, and we can't always blame the victims.
Many times we have been advised to always be careful as we journey through life, which is very important to always do because even when the unexpected happens, being careful can help us to some extent. But the truth remains that we can't be too careful in life because a lot of things can't be predicted.
While I was living with a family some years ago, we always had a routine check at night just to ensure all doors and gates were locked. We all went to bed as usual that night, and around 11 p.m., we heard gunshots. We all gathered in the living room and laid on the floor. Some minutes later, a bullet broke through the window glass, and fortunately for us, it didn't hit anyone.
If it had hit someone, would anyone say we weren't careful enough?
A lot of things happen daily, and we can't really blame the victims for their misfortune. That's just life for everyone, and that's why we are fond of saying that no one knows tomorrow; tomorrow even seems like a long time to me because we can't tell what will happen in the next minute to anyone.
When it comes to surviving risky situations, I always count myself as a lucky human because I have lost count of how many near-death experiences I have had.
Back then, when I was working far away from home, I had a few accidents, and only God saved me every time they happened. They were mostly bike accidents, and the memories are still fresh. The last one made me scared of bikes for a while, but it's impossible not to take bikes, especially in Lagos, because of the traffic we experience every day.
Despite how scary those experiences were, I wouldn't still tag them as the nearest-to-death experience I had.
I left home one morning feeling feverish, but not going to work that day wasn't an option. The feverish feeling didn't start that morning, but I thought it was stress, so I forced myself to work that day. While at work, I wasn't myself and couldn't wait till closing.
The thought of going to the hospital crossed my mind, but I thought about it again and decided to rest instead. Upon getting home, I was shivering because it felt like my body was exposed to the cold.
I applied balm to my body, wore two sweaters, and still covered myself with a duvet. I was on my bed shivering and didn't know when I would sleep off.
I woke hours later, and I could barely lift my finger. The cold had vanished, and I was not burning from inside; it seems the heat had become too much for my body to handle.
I struggled to get out of bed and fell to the floor. My body was too weak to move, so I crawled on my chest to the door, hoping to get someone to help me at least stand on my feet. Luckily for me, I didn't lock my door and just crawled out. It was then that I realized that it was midnight.
I felt hot tears running down my cheek and tried standing, but my effort was futile. I couldn't even talk and just gave up on trying to move because the more I tried, the weaker I got. I stopped feeling anything and just laid there, thinking that might be the end of life for me.
I can't tell if I went unconscious or slept off, but the next thing I remembered was a heavy splash of water on my face. My vision was blurry, and I barely heard anything, but people were running around calling my name.
The water didn't stop pouring on me, and finally I regained consciousness. It was raining heavily, so they helped me get into the rain, which further helped me get better. One of my neighbors took me in his vehicle that midnight to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with typhoid fever. The doctor said that I left it untreated for too long and that it had become severe.
I was admitted and given medication, which made me feel better. I left the hospital that same day and never allowed such a thing to happen again. Immediately, I started feeling feverish. I made the necessary move to prevent things from escalating because if I were alone in that building that day, it could have been a whole different story.
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