I'm sure most of you have heard this story but this has a little different perspective to it. Anyway, it makes you stop and think about what you really want verses what you have to do.

Aron Ralston was trapped.

Climbing alone over large boulders in a narrow canyon
in southeastern Utah, he became hopelessly stuck when
one of them, weighing about 800 pounds, shifted as he
was climbing over it, pinning his right arm.

Stuck in a 3-foot wide slot, he tried for days to move
the huge rock, chip it away, whatever it took to get
free...but nothing worked.

Finally, after three days of being trapped, food and
water gone and out of ways to free himself, he realized
he'd die if he didn't take drastic action...

...so he decided to cut off his right arm below the
elbow with a dull pocketknife to save his life.

Yes, cut off his own arm. In the middle of nowhere. By
himself. With a dull knife. To live.

It took him two days.

And when he was done, he crawled through a narrow,
twisting canyon, rappelled down a 60-foot cliff, and
hiked some six miles before he finally stumbled on help.....

... all with his forearm gone, the stump bleeding.

"I'm not sure how I handled it," he said, what was left
of his arm in a sling. "I felt pain and I coped with it.
I moved on."

Because he knew there was no other way to live.

And while most of our choices aren't nearly that
dramatic, I couldn't help wondering: what are you and
I willing to cut off to live?

Because when times get tough and we're stuck, we all
get to choose: keep what we've got and die, or take
"drastic action" and cut away what's holding us back
and live...

...like destructive relationships. Or a job that's
turning us into a zombie. Addictions (drugs, alcohol,
sex, etc.) that have gone from being our best friend
to controlling our life. Or the silly illusion that
"this is as good as it gets" so we "ought to be
grateful" and "put up with it."

Drastic changes? Yes...but there comes a time when
that's the only way out, and we're the only one who
can cut us free.

Is your life worth it?

Ask Aron.

© Pat Lynch, 2003. All rights reserved.

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Please feel free to forward this on.

<small>[ June 14, 2003, 08:52 PM: Message edited by: Free ]</small>

Thank you for this beautiful, thought provoking, and inspiring story. tew

I think God gave him the ability to do this..I wonder if, in the same spot, If I too could do this..cause it is not something normal or natural,.I believe he was given help from God. God bless this man, an arm is not something we give up, we say I would give up my right arm to have her back...but in reality..not..

even a foot or whatever, I have heard of men cutting off legs and arms before alot of accident getting hurt with trees and saws..being pinned down and to get out..do stuff like that..ewww
and ouch...God help him readjust loosing an arm is not somthing to take lightly..seems to me I also heard that...someplace else..
Not to be taken lightly. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="images/icons/rolleyes.gif" />

Boy---what parallels that has to my life. Being married to an alcohol abuser and adulterer was KILLING me sloooooooooowly. I often told my WS that I felt like I was getting my arm cut off with a plastic knife after the A. Before the A, I was getting more and more depressed cause I saw our M slowly dying.

"I'm not sure how I handled it," he said..."I felt pain. I coped with it and I moved on".

The past 2 years was so long and painful and the excising was so painful. I have one more "cut" to go and then I will be freer. I have to sign over our house and will get my share of it.

What a powerful story.

TW

HI, Cutting loose can be a slow painful process. But what would it have proffited the man if he decided he didn't want to cut off his arm? He would have died and then he would have forfieted his entire life to save his arm. The scripture that says "If thy right hand offend the, cut it off" had to be applied literally in this instance.

Most of us are willing to pay a very high price to keep or get what we want in marriage, and I'm not saying that is a bad thing. It's just sometimes we have to step back from that wayward spouse, like the arm stuck under the rock and if they are not going to move, we need to cut ourselves free before we loose too much of ourself to go on.

I cut myself free of my relationship and it turned out different than I thought or even wanted at that time. My H, when faced with loosing, decided he didn't want to loose me and things are working out very well at this point. However, the only reason that they are working out is because he woke up and wanted to stay. It was his choice. It was not because I gave him an ultimatem, begged or pleaded (I tried that in the past, it didn't work)it was because he he wanted to. He made a choice.

I don't take marriage vows lightly, but I will never again allow myself to be trapped in a bad situation. I'll stay away from the "8oo " pound boulders that could fall on me in the first place, relationship wise anyway.

We can learn alot from our mistakes and the mistakes of others!
Free