Pt.5 Never Have I Ever? Hold my Coffee!

As kids, we think we are invincible. Am I climbing to the top of the eagle's perch at the playground? Check! Am I climbing to the top of a tree and hanging upside down? Check! Have I jumped off a trestle bridge into murky water? Check!

I look back at my childhood and think about how often my brothers and I would unnecessarily endanger our lives. It was often. As mentioned, climbing and jumping were a big part of it. We did a lot of other crazy things as well. My brothers would jump from their two-story window onto a mattress, and they would try bike jumps off the tipped picnic table.

One of the scarier moments was the ice on the lake.

It was common knowledge that we were to stay off the ice until the fire department deemed it safe. They would come and drill a hole to measure thickness. Six inches was the magic number we all looked for. It was winter break; it had been cold and snowy. They came to the lake just before Christmas day. NO!!! Not thick enough.

My brother felt it would still be safe if he stayed somewhat close to shore as he walked on said ice. As mentioned in pt 3, we were thin due to our genetics. Well, with heavy winter gear, including brand-new steel-toed boots for Christmas, it was a recipe for disaster.

Now, I do love my brothers, all of them. But sometimes I would question said genetics. Often, when they did things too crazy for me to follow or said something that made me roll my eyes so hard, I'd get whiplash. This was one of those times. Of course, he fell through. Of course, nobody was around to hear him.

It just so happened that my boyfriend (now husband) and I decided to take the scenic route by the lake home from visiting other family members. His defroster was broken, so we had to roll the window down to scrape the ice off every so often to see. That is when we heard- "HELP!" coming from the lake. I immediately recognized my brother's voice and knew he would be the only one who would possibly be out there. I said a few mean things about him, but I will leave that out.

We found him clinging to the ice with his fingers gripped onto the edge. He could have kicked the boots off to make it easier to pull him out, but he wouldn't. He wanted to save those boots at all costs. Even his life!

We eventually saved him, and a kind neighbor helped us slowly warm him up. I think about that day every winter. I wonder if he would have made that same choice today. I'm not sure. I know I can't even jump off a trestle bridge into water. I like to think age has made us all wiser.