"Clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk... CLUNK!" That was the sound my body made as I plummeted into a rocky ravine. My friend later told me that he thought I had died.
Truth be told, I'm not sure how I survived that day, much less with scarcely a scratch upon my body. I had arrived at the snowy slopes earlier that morning, and had slowly worked my way up in difficulty to the much-vaunted diamond course.
Then disaster struck. I slipped while skiing, and in a freak accident, went sliding under the protective fencing on the edges of the slope, and into the waiting ravine several meters below.
To this day, I ponder the events of that day. How could I have been so profoundly unlucky, and yet ultimately so fortunate? Are there colossal forces at play, fighting over my destiny like two teams locked in an endless tug of war?
As for the lessons of that day, I would like to say that I took them to heart. I had no business trying to tackle the diamond course, then or ever. I fashioned myself to be far more skilled than I actually was, and it nearly cost me my life.
Since then, with my cocky youth fading behind me, I have learned to take slightly more care in what difficulties I choose to face, and in what challenges I try to conquer. For discretion is, after all, the better part of valor.
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