This is a snapshot of that HILARIOUS MOMENT when you realize you ALMOST DIED, but by Divine Grace alone, you are still alive - even if you're wearing mismatched shoes, one of which is a kid's sandal that you found on the beach.
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Yes, on this AWE-ful, awe-inspiring day a couple of weeks ago, I LOST my shoe, my shirt, my tripod, and my very nice iPhone with about 1200 photos on it, in the ocean. But, I am ever so grateful that the one thing I did not lose is MY LIFE.
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So, how did I end up COVERED IN BLACK SAND, HALF-NAKED, AND WEARING ONE KID'S SHOE you ask?
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Well, I was out on a beautiful blank sand beach the day before the FULL MOON. A friend and I had ridden our bikes there, so I could get some photos for a project I was working on. My friend decided to go check out another part of the beach, while I took photos. My iPhone was on a tripod, that was doing a great job of withstanding the relatively rough waves rolling into shore. So, I thought everything was just beachy, until I turned away for literally one second, to put something down.
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When I turned back around, all I saw was MY TRIPOD AND IPHONE DROWNING! I dove down to try to grab the tripod as it was being pulled out to sea, when I SUDDENLY REALIZED, THE SEA WAS ALSO PULLING ME!
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I felt myself being pulled under and TUMBLED AROUND LIKE I WAS IN A WASHING MACHINE. The wave HIT ME SO HARD, I hardly knew where I was. All I could see underwater was what looked like sunlight. I wasn't sure if I was breathing, but I knew I WASN'T SWIMMING - I couldn't swim because of the power of the wave. It was like my arms and legs couldn't move. I COULD ONLY SUBMIT TO THE SEA-SURGE taking me away.
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Suddenly, like the MIRACLE it was, I popped up out of the water on the shore. THE SEA HAD SPIT ME OUT. My bikini top was pretty much not on, and my leg was badly bruised and swelling. When I looked up, all I saw was a gaggle of OLD AND OGLING Balinese men staring at me in shock.
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It took me a moment to gather some semblance of a thought, and I knew immediately that my iPhone and tripod were definitely GONE. FOREVER. But it was one of those moments that felt so surreal and sublime at the same time, that I COULDN'T EVEN CRY. I was sad to lose my phone and pics, but also so very happy to be alive. So, I just calmly waited for my friend to return, and we combed the beach LOOKING FOR ANOTHER SHOE I could wear so that I could ride my bike home.
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And so, here I stand, in this snapshot of GRACE AND GRATITUDE, with two mismatched shoes, and MY LIFE. Oh, and an entirely new respect for all things MOTHER NATURE.
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