That's what my mom always said when I did something stupid.
I think Forest Gump's momma said the same thing :)
So I thought I'd share with you one of the stupidest things I witnessed, also very traumatic for myself and others involved. This was just one of the events that were happening on a daily basis that lead up to my first mental breakdown many years go.
I dropped by a party to give my boyfriend a ride home. Everyone at this party were all very drunk at the time. They were lighting rum shots on fire and then drinking them. This was a common thing done at bars back in the day. But these brilliant drunks didn't have a regular shot glass, so were using a glass about twice the diameter of a normal shot glass. When it got to this one guy (I'll call him Paul) he filled the glass fuller than the others had, lit it on fire, then tried to take the shot. Instead the alcohol splashed all over his face, and the alcohol burst into flames. Catching his entire face, and his long hair on fire.
Everyone just stood there frozen. I screamed at them to put out the fire. Instead they just made it worse. I got him under the faucet to make sure the fire was totally out then demanded they call an ambulance. He insisted they not call an ambulance, so I then demanded he get in my car so I could take him to the hospital. As they were pouring the cold water over his face, he refused to go. Kept saying he didn't have insurance. I was sure he was in shock and had no idea just how badly he was burned, he HAD to get to the hospital. I told him to get in the car or I would have the other guys carry his ass to the car.
He gets in the car, and about half way to the hospital the shock starts to wear off and he's in excruciating unbearable pain, hanging his body out the window so far to get the wind on his burns that I was afraid he'd fall out.
When we get to the hospital, he starts to say his girlfriend was going to break up with him over this. I realized he did NOT know just how badly burned and disfigured he was. SO I felt I had to stay strong, and look him in the face, until the doctors could get pain medicine in him. This was extremely hard, looking at him, it made me feel like passing out.
The doctors said I did the right thing staying strong for him.
His girlfriend did show up, and she broke up with him on the spot. I was very shocked by this. I thought she was extremely cold hearted, but I later learned Paul took risks like this on a regular basis and this was just the last straw. I still would have waited if it would have been me though.
So I went home when his parents got to the hospital later that night.
I later learned he'd LEFT the hospital that night. I was very upset by this, as I thought his burns would get much worse if not treated.
There was a boy in my school when I was young, who'd been in a housefire, and was very disfigured by this. I thought that "Paul" was going to spend the rest of his life very disfigured as well. It was on my mind every day and I was very upset by this. I saw him just 5 weeks later, and his face looked just a little sunburned. I was so shocked by this, and upset that I'd been worried sick and upset for weeks for no reason.
Apparently though he was the exception, the doctors were also shocked at his fast and extensive recovery.
Please if you ever see anyone trying this stunt - tell them this story. It's been over 20 years now and it still feels like it happened yesterday as I retell this story
THE IRON NODER CHALLENGE: 9 FAST 9 FERROUS