My Near Death Experience. But Really.

Mom, you can go ahead and stop reading...

Saturday's have easily become my absolute favorite days. Maybe, and most likely, because it's the one day I can sleep in and think of anything but school. This saturday was no different. My friend Alex cooked some delicious chocolate chip (!!) pancakes for us, and we decided it would be a good day for rock climbing. At The Underground, a coffee shop close to Harding, they have rock climbing inside. Granted, this is a nice alternative when the weather is bad, etc, but it was just not legit enough for us women yesterday. So, we decided to go to Riverside and climb on some REAL rocks.

Let me begin by saying that "rocks" is the understatement of the year. These were boulders. These were cliffs. Much like what the picture shows except the river below us was more brownish with more water. Next, I will say that it has rained a lot here lately. And where there is vegetation and rocks, there is moss. SO. We were climbing on wet, mossy, slippery, boulders. It was aweeeesome. I have never had such a workout as I stretched my leg an almost unfathomable length to the huge boulder next to me, only keeping myself from falling by sticking my hand in a little crevice and my foot on a tiny ledge. We did this many times, laughing and talking and walking. We found a lizard, whom we named Barrett, and his close friend, Barrett Junior, the tree frog. Alex, the far more adventurous one, always led the way. Which was secretly wonderful for me and Bethany so that she could find out how NOT to climb :) Jk, Alex...but really. At one point we came upon a small ledge overlooking the small Red River below. Imagine, if you will, what Pride's Rock looks like in The Lion King. Although the boulder was not even close to that size, it was much like that, with smaller boulders, thin trees, and wet grass below.

Obviously we climbed down the boulder, hoping to get a closer look at whatever was over the small ledge. I had already slipped just walking a few times, and this was no exception. It was a tough climb down, but we made it. If you haven't realized the slight danger we were putting ourselves in, let me also add in now that we began to discuss that dying then would mean we would get to Heaven sooner. I was following Alex, with Bethany behind me, and in the middle of talking about Heaven, my foot slipped..
It's hard to actually recall what happened since it happened so fast and since my life was in danger, but the next thing I know I am looking down at the river with nothing keeping me from it but a thin tree that somehow, literally by the grace of God, I fell on. I still don't know how it didn't break. When I realized what had happened and that I was alive, I remember saying something about my foot, when really, the only thing that was hurting was my elbow because it hyper-extended. I think I cried, but mostly, I didn't know how I was going to get back up. I sat there for a minute, heart racing, legs dangling, recalling what happened and the thought, as I was falling, that I was about to die. Or at least be severely injured. Somehow, someway, Little Alex and Bethany pulled me back up and I sat, as far away from the edge as I could get, and started shaking uncontrollably.

There is no reason that I should have landed on that tree. I have a few cuts, and my muscles are killing me, but other than that, I am completely fine. As I was getting myself up and as I sat there shaking, I could only repeat: "Abba...Abba..." He saved me. He's not done with me yet.