How do you know? When a doctor is faced with a life and death situation, they are often forced to make a decision quickly. He did the best he could with the information he had.

I’ve thought of this with regard to drinking and driving. For that reason, our family practices the “designator driver” rule. But, I usually get nominated as I only drink on rare occasions.

@ Irene, gosh, I can imagine what a wake-up call that must have been! But hey, what a way to dive into my blog head first! It sounds like you have a great perspective on self-forgiveness, the kind that can only come from experience. I love this line: “They really can’t feel the logic nor the goodness of the lesson while they’re still in the mud.”

This is my first visit to your site and wow, was I blown away! I have personally learnt that forgiveness of self is the hardest of them all. While a part of me wanted to heal so badly and believe the good things that friends or loved ones tell me, nothing was really effectively until I found the guts to allow the guilt to surface and work its toll. It definitely ain’t a breeze, and this can take years … but it IS possible to heal. People DO learn something good out of bad experiences, but that only comes when they finally get out of it. They really can’t feel the logic nor the goodness of the lesson while they’re still in the mud.

Finding that spark of courage and determination to heal is a start – people must WANT to heal and see the light, otherwise the guilt will just consume them. It’s really hard to help people who don’t want to help themselves. Instead of trying to tell them to snap out of it (which they won’t), we just need to help them find that one spark first and then work from there.

This is the first post I read after I woke up in the morning, so boom … what a wake-up call, LOL! Excellent post Hunter.

Irene | Light Beckonss last blog post..10 Things That Make Me Happy

When we can forgive ourselves and move on that’s when we are growing. I’ve made plenty of mistakes – drinking too much at weddings and acting like a jerk. I’ve learned to stop drinking so much and enjoy a more sober party. When we fall flat on our faces it’s up to us to use them to our advantage.

Karl Staib – Your Work Happiness Matterss last blog post..Productivity at its Most Effective – When It’s Easy to Apply to Your Life

@ Evelyn, I think that’s a good way of looking at it – mistakes happen in order to teach us something. And that “something” just might be self-forgiveness, as we all have to make mistakes.

@ Barbara, thanks for visiting and subscribing. I know your name somehow, but I can’t remember where I saw you. I agree that actually being there and having to make the decision in the heat of the moment is very different from looking at it objectively with hindsight.

@ Cath, exactly, no one would expect someone to die of rabies, and since they had a drug overdose as an explanation, it was reasonable not to test for anything else, especially given the time pressure.

@ Laurie, I don’t remember exactly how the drug overdose assumption unfolded. They knew she was depressed, and they found drugs in her blood, and I guess her symptoms were consistent with an overdose. You’re right to consider the person or people who made this determination, but I think Dr. Cox was one of them. And Dr. Cox decided not to do an autopsy first because the cause of death seemed clear, and they needed the organs now. And let’s say the cause of death had been obvious, like a gunshot to the chest. They could still have rabies, even if it wasn’t the cause of death. It’s a lot to consider!

@ Marelisa, sometimes I really think you’re psychic. In the show they considered “what would a reasonable doctor have done” and also the “horses, not zebras” bit (though that was for something else). And I’m using the word “extravaganza” in my next post!

Marelisas last blog post..Creativity Extravaganza: 30 Tips, Tools, and Resources

I believe that for the most part, we do the best we can with the information and experience we have for any situation that comes up in life.

Laurie | Express Yourself to Successs last blog post..Even with good social skills, would someone want to be your friend?