Trapped
Years ago I spent a couple of days and nights at a camp site near Bristol, UK. It is known as Goblin Combe.
I slept in a cabin on a bunk bed. The cabin was windowless. After dark there was not the slightest glimmer of light. I hated it. I was totally unnerved by the absence of light.
What's more, I was in a sleeping bag. My feet were trapped at the lower end of the bag. This was unbearable - I wanted my feet to be free.
Even now, whether at home, or in an hotel, or at the home of a friend, I need my feet to be free from sheets, blankets or quilts. The first thing I do when staying overnight with friends, or sleeping in an hotel is to "un-tuck" the top sheet and blankets so that my feet will not be trapped. Should I have to use a sleeping bag I unzip it and use it as a cover, knowing that I will be unable to sleep should my feet be constrained within the bag.
When I was a seminarian (1972-1976) I took a field trip with my year group down a coal mine in Derbyshire, U.K. No one was more glad than I when we re-surfaced some three hours after our descent.
The whole thought of being trapped in total darkness and underground terrifies me. I could not bear it for more than a few hours.
So it is that I am in awe of the miners who have been trapped in darkness, more than a mile underground, and for 67 + days, in Chile. They have displayed a strength of purpose and character which amazes and astounds me. I rejoice in their rescues.
I slept in a cabin on a bunk bed. The cabin was windowless. After dark there was not the slightest glimmer of light. I hated it. I was totally unnerved by the absence of light.
What's more, I was in a sleeping bag. My feet were trapped at the lower end of the bag. This was unbearable - I wanted my feet to be free.
Even now, whether at home, or in an hotel, or at the home of a friend, I need my feet to be free from sheets, blankets or quilts. The first thing I do when staying overnight with friends, or sleeping in an hotel is to "un-tuck" the top sheet and blankets so that my feet will not be trapped. Should I have to use a sleeping bag I unzip it and use it as a cover, knowing that I will be unable to sleep should my feet be constrained within the bag.
When I was a seminarian (1972-1976) I took a field trip with my year group down a coal mine in Derbyshire, U.K. No one was more glad than I when we re-surfaced some three hours after our descent.
The whole thought of being trapped in total darkness and underground terrifies me. I could not bear it for more than a few hours.
So it is that I am in awe of the miners who have been trapped in darkness, more than a mile underground, and for 67 + days, in Chile. They have displayed a strength of purpose and character which amazes and astounds me. I rejoice in their rescues.
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