WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE Have you ever had a moment in time that seems like minutes or hours, even though it was only a few seconds? Have you ever seen everything before you play out in slow motion, where you are aware of everything around you, yet not knowing what was going on? I have, and as I look back on it, I'm very blessed to still be here on this earth. On July 23, 2001, I decided to take a little swim in our swimming pool and I almost drowned. On that fateful day in July, I was a couple months shy of my fifth birthday. At that time we still had an outdoor in- ground pool. The day was beautiful; I was outside with my friend and my father. My friend Daša was diligently reading curled up on a bench that sat against the house, and my father was mowing the lawn. My mother was inside cleaning the house, as she always did, to make sure it was spotless. Off to one side of the house was a group of large bushes, where I was busy playing with my little plastic oven in my own little world. At one point, while amusing and entertaining myself, I decided I needed some water. I knew exactly where to get it from, the pool. I remember as it was yesterday. I walked over to the shallow end of the pool and looked down into the water. The water was crystal clear, I remember vividly, and shimmered lightly in the afternoon sun. I dunked a large cooking pot into the water, probably thinking I was about to cook a mouth-watering meal for myself outside, and it started to sink. I watched it for a moment before reaching down to grab it. The pot sank faster than I could reach. I then ended up leaning too far over the edge of the pool. My friend screamed in fear. My dad did not hear her because he was still mowing the lawn. She was paranoid; and so was I. I remember I was punching and kicking beneath the surface, wanting to catch a breath. She tried to help me, but she couldn’t. So, she jumped into the water and started shouting and pooling me out. It was useless. Then…my mom saw this scene out of the kitchen window that was wide open, so the fresh summer breeze could come in. She ran outside and grabbed my hand and then also my father came running as fast as he could to help his only child. I could see fear, sadness and also paranoia in their eyes. My dad jumped in and pulled me out of the pool. I could finally catch a lousy breath. I felt relieved and so did they. Daša and my mom were both crying, thinking how it could end if I were alone. I started vomiting and spitting out water. It was literally water everywhere.