Presence of mind

PushpavalliSrinivasan · May 10, 2010

Presence of mind

Presence of mind is required in case of an emergency. The ability to think clearly and act quickly and intelligently in an emergency is really commendable.

Presence of mind can be elusive. It does not occur entirely by skill or effort. The manifest of presence of mind depends on one’s intuition.

Here I want to share with you a situation where I lacked presence of mind and a teenager’s presence of mind solved the problem.

This happened when my youngest son was about 3 or 4 year old.
We were staying in a first floor of an apartment. One afternoon the children were playing running up and down. Suddenly one of the children came and told me that my son’s head was caught in between the banister. I ran out and he started crying and said, “Mom, I can’t pull out my head. It’s hurting.”

I tried to squeeze his head and pull out, but it was not so easy. :bonkIn the mean while the teenager at the ground floor came with a suggestion. :idea
He said, “Aunty, you try pushing his body for he is so skinny in stead of trying to push his head. I will catch hold of him from the steps.”

It was really a good idea. I pushed his body and the boy caught hold of him from the other side down the steps. Thus his presence of mind solved the problem.

Personal attachment shuts down the brain for most of the people in an emergency. They are not in a position to think clearly.

My DH had used his presence of mind in an emergency and saved himself from ruffians. In the year 1972 in the month of December Telco Workers Union called for a strike. The strike continued for a long time. Supervisory staff was forced to attend duty and was warned that if they absented they would be subject to disciplinary action and might be even discharged. So my hubby had to attend duty. The supervisory staff was subject to great risk as workers obstructed them at the gate and pelted stones at their vehicles.

During the strike riding on vehicle was risky and so my hubby used to go by taxi. One day while returning from duty striking workers were waiting outside the gate and they started chasing him. He ran for his life and found another group waiting at the next turning. He saw one standing with his legs wide apart and hands stretched out to stop him. My DH just bent and went through his spread out legs within a split of a second. The crowd did not expect this and then they started chasing him again. He ran and found the door open in a house and ran inside and bolted the door from inside. He went and hid himself under a cot. :hide:

After a few minutes some people came and knocked at the door. The lady of the house was washing clothes at the back yard and she came and opened the door. When they asked her whether any one entered the house, she replied in the negative as she herself was not aware of a man hiding in her front hall under the cot. When she returned my hubby came out of his hiding place and to his surprise, he found that she was a known south Indian lady. The lady also was surprised to see him, but as my hubby was known to all Tamilians she kept her cool. Then my hubby had narrated to her all that had happened. He took shelter there until he came to know that the road was clear for him to leave. He thanked the lady and returned home. Really this was a hair- raising experience for him. As he was swift footed and could run like a hare he was able to save himself from the dangerous onslaught.

I have to tell you an incident where I used my presence of mind. We had main door with auto locking system at our house. Once our tenant who used to keep the outside grill gate locked came out and was sitting in the veranda. Due to strong wind the main door was forced shut and it got locked. The lady was stuck up in the veranda. She could neither come out nor go in side. Then she called out to us. She told us that the keys were in side and she got stuck up. Then we asked her where she had kept the keys. She told that she had kept the keys on the center table in the hall. Then an idea struck me. We had long bamboo attached with sickle (thoradu) and I thought that we could get a magnet stuck up to the thoradu and using it could get the keys. My DH said it was a good idea and we executed the idea. We succeeded in getting the bunch of keys and freed the self imprisoned lady. This idea of mine was successful in retrieving the keys twice again.

Please share your experience when you had to use your presence of mind.

iyerviji · May 10, 2010

Dear Pushpa Mami

That was a nice write up and the experience you had . The boy really had the presence of mind and you could solve the problem. Oh good that your husband could run fast and save himself from those people. About the keys also good you knew how to solve the problem.

love
viji

PushpavalliSrinivasan · May 10, 2010

Dear Viji,
Thanks for posting your first fb as usual. I admire you for posting fbs to all and thus encouraging and motivating us through your fbs. I do want to be like you, but find it difficult. Perhaps I should keep specific days only to post fbs.
Love.
PS

Arunarc · May 10, 2010

Dear Pushpa
After a long time you are in snippet. Nice to read your thread.
Yes you are right when it comes to our loved ones our mind gets blocked from thinking during such situation.
You and your family aways faced such problems during the 70's na I have read it before to how couragously your DH had come out of it, and here too another one to read.
Oncemy son was stuck inside the house some 18 years back
My DS was a year old and he was playing inside the house myself amd some of my neigbhours were standing and talking to each other, ladies gossips never ends, but I had an eye inside the house just to see he is playing fine not hurting himself. This was when I was in Thane and there was this evening cool breeze blowing and I had put the latch of the door to the wall so that the door will not get closed usually whenever I step even a step out I carry my keys but unfortunately that day did not do so. And see my fate that the keys were inside and the latch broke and the door got closed within fraction of a second, just don't know how it happened. When something bad has to happen it just happens.....
Thankfully I was on the 1st floor that time I called the watchman and asked him to climb up as I had my windows opened, he could go and remove the door but for that too it took about 15 minutes to open the door. By the grace of Lord my little one was playing happily with his toys. These things are really scary when it comes to you.

PushpavalliSrinivasan · May 10, 2010

Dear Aruna,
Oh! You too had a similar experience. It could happen to any one. The apartment where I am staying now. there is a doctor at the second floor. When the door got locked she had to call the fire service people for help.
In our house almost all the tenants had experienced this.
Thanks fore sharing your experience,
Love,
PS

Deepali_deepali · May 10, 2010

Dear Pushpa Mam,

What you said is so true.. Mind just stops working when our loved ones are in trouble. Its God grace that your son was saved that day.

Its an interesting post. Honestly I am finding it hard to recall when I used my presence of mind..:biglaugh

PushpavalliSrinivasan · May 11, 2010

Dear Deepali,
Thanks for dropping in and posting your comments. Perhaps you did not face a situation so far to test your presence of mind.
Love,
PS

knot2share · May 11, 2010

Dear PS mami

Presence of mind - like you said, not everybody has an alert mind. I am a typical example of a non-alert mind ALWAYS!! . Very interesting to read the episodes you have narrated. I am too struggling to think of an incident. But I guess if I am non-alert, then where am I going to find anything to write?? There is one though I remember when I was in school. I used to be an instant sleeper (even now I can fall asleep anytime anywhere). Once when mum had gone to Kerala for some reason, it was just my dad and myself at home. Appa had some work and came home late. By then I had already fallen asleep and once I am asleep even if an elephant comes and stomps on me, I would have no clue! Dad knocked on the door and rang the door bell several times but I never budged from my bed. Luckily the window to the room was open. He took a long stick and poked me real hard through the window and that is how I woke up. I was shocked and embarrassed. Once dad came inside the house, he used the same stick to give me a couple of treats!!........hehehe. So thats my dad's presence of mind.

anukarsha · May 11, 2010

Dear pushpa,very interesting post.I could visualise things happening in front of my eyes.i do have a few incidents of using presence of mind,would share for sure.regs-anu

PushpavalliSrinivasan · May 11, 2010

Dear knot2share,
I shudder to think of the treat you got from your dad.It seems you are a direct descendant of kumbakarnan. Hi HI! Just joking.
I wonder whether alert people are capable to act in an emergency. Presence of mind is a combination of alertness, smartness and and instant right action.
Thanks for sharing your dad's presence of mind,
Love,
PS