The NDE of Penny Wittbrodt
Hey y'all -
I hope you're enjoying your Sunday. As some of you know, I watch Near-Death Experience videos on YouTube almost every day and I came across one recently that I want to share. It's a little over an hour, I usually skip those lengthy videos because who has the time but this woman had me captivated with her experience.
Here's some background on Penny along with a couple facets that have shaped the way I think:
Penny was a nurse at the time of her NDE. She had a severe allergic reaction that sent her into anaphylactic shock
She was put into a medically induced coma and during that coma, she eventually figured out how to view her body in the hospital and could read the minds of anyone in her hospital room. Each day she was in the coma, her spirit or soul figured out how to navigate whatever realm she was in.
During her life review, she was taken to a moment in her past where she gave money to a single mom in line behind her at the grocery store and Penny was able to see the domino effect of that one good deed years down the road.
Also during her life review, she was taken to a moment where she could have done better. Back when she was first doing shifts at the hospital, she worked with a nurse who would always love to gossip. Penny would usually have to pick up the slack from things that nurse didn't do, which she always resented her for. Penny never said anything negative to this woman, but she did think negative things about her behavior and abilities. Then she was shown the childhood of this nurse and Penny was able to see the horrible abuse this woman endured as a kid at the hands of her father and was in shock. "While I didn't see this woman as the ideal nurse, she had still overcome her past. Despite all the horrible things she was subjected to, she still chose to go into a profession where she was helping people."
There are so many other great things about this interview, but that last one in particular left a mark on me. I always thought if we resented or judged someone but were outwardly polite to them, that everything was okay. But that story made me realize I should be going a step further on the people I internally judge and remind myself that there's a reason why they're like this and the reason usually isn't pretty.
Somewhere along the way I picked up this false idea that to extend grace and compassion to a person, whether they're a stranger or your best friend, would leave me in a vulnerable place I could not afford to be in because - what if they hurt me and I'm caught off guard? These interviews (along with therapy lol) have made me feel safe enough to assume positive intent. Maybe the guy who cut me off in traffic has a wife in the passenger seat about to give labor? Or maybe he's being an inconsiderate prick, but if that's the case, there's pain behind that.
Almost all NDE videos I watch talk about a "Life Review" and since I've started doing this deep dive, I live my life from a place of wanting to be in service of people as often as I can in big and small ways. I'm pretty sure that's how we can start to heal the world. That and picking up litter when you pass it on the street. There's also a ton of other ways, but being of service and throwing litter on the streets into a trash can are my current top two. Feel free to share yours in the comment section. <3
love ya lots,
Krystyna