Awakening: The One-Second Reminder That Changes Everything

Ten.
That’s how many seconds stood between my life continuing and my life ending.
Ten seconds that reminded me how fragile this existence is, how quickly the story can shift, and how every breath we’re given is a gift we’re not promised.

This week, life did not tap me on the shoulder — it grabbed me by the collar and demanded my attention.

Pain

This is for anyone who has walked through a moment that shook you awake…
A diagnosis.
A close call.
A loss you never saw coming.
A brush with mortality that reordered everything you thought mattered.

If you’ve ever felt the thin edge between living and not living…
If you’ve ever had a moment where everything could have ended…
If you’ve ever walked away saying, “Things cannot go back to the way they were”…
You’re not alone.
I’m right there with you.

I want to share with you the story—the exact experience—that rearranged my entire perspective this week.
This is my awakening.

I want to take a moment and offer something personal that I hope will help us all think more deeply about the gift of simply getting our heads off the pillows every morning. This writing is also part of how I am processing this traumatic event.

Many of you are familiar with my usual response when someone asks, “How are you doing?”
I say, “I’m living the dream.”

I don’t say that lightly or as a throwaway line. I say it because I genuinely believe that every day we wake up, we’re given another chance to rise—another opportunity to step into the bond of the Phoenix, to rise above adversity and begin a new chapter. That belief was put to the test in a very real way yesterday.

I had a near-death experience while doing something I’ve done many times before: chopping wood with my wood splitter. We’d just had a significant windstorm. About half an hour into cutting, my neighbor’s monster 60-foot ash tree—on his property, a reasonable distance away—suddenly snapped and came straight toward me. As it fell, it struck my ash tree, bringing it down too.

In a matter of seconds, I was standing behind the wood splitter with one massive tree coming at me and another crashing down in parallel. I saw it all happening out of the corner of my eye. I started running, trying to get away from the two falling trees (right in front of me, parallel to each other). At the last moment, I jumped, but the second tree still caught me in the back as I was trying to escape.

From the time that tree snapped to the moment it hit me, we’re talking about maybe 10 seconds. And in those 10 seconds, I was only one second away from living or dying. There is no question: that tree would have crushed me like a bug.

I ended up in the hospital because my blood pressure dropped, and my injury was more significant than I initially believed. They ran full-body tests and a CT scan to make sure there was no internal bleeding. Thankfully, I was cleared and sent home around midnight. I’m in a lot of pain and discomfort, but I am here. I am alive. And like the Phoenix, I am choosing to rise and nurture myself back to health.

This week is life-changing for another reason as well: my son, Michael, is marrying his love, Priyanka, on Saturday. The last thing I want is to add worry to this beautiful time in their lives, but of course, they’re showing up the way a supportive family always does—with love, concern, and presence.

I am determined to be ready by Saturday—at least enough that I don’t stand out walking like an invalid down the aisle.

But the real purpose of sharing this isn’t to focus on my pain; it’s to highlight the fragility of life and how quickly everything can change.

We’ve all heard stories of people who died instantly from a tree falling on a house or in a yard. My wife has a colleague who was outside with her two children when a windstorm hit. A tree snapped. In the chaos of trying to grab one child and get out of the way, the two-year-old was left in the path of the falling tree and was killed—one moment, a typical day. The next, life was shattered.

I don’t share this to create fear, but to deepen our gratitude and awareness.

For me, this experience is a renewal of my tenacity—to move forward in my personal life, in my professional mission, and in Tiger Resilience—with even more humility, gratitude, and reverence for every breath and every heartbeat.

I will be saying “I love you” more.
I will be hugging my family and friends more—probably to the point where they might think I’m a little weird. I can live with that. In fact, I want to live with that.

I want to invite you to do something today:
• Reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.
• Or even someone you talk to all the time.
• Tell them they matter to you.
• Let them know they are essential in your life.

Because one thing is sure: there is no “get out of jail free” card in life. We don’t get unlimited chances. I sometimes joke that, like a cat, I’ve had nine lives and I’ve burned through a few of them with some of the things I’ve been through. After this, I feel like I might be down to about half a life left—and I intend to live that half fully awake.

Love your life.
Love your journey.

It is never just about the destination.
It is always about the path, the people, and the moments along the way.

Peace and blessings,
Bernie Tiger
Yours in the bond of the Phoenix

The Tiger Resilience Shift: Awakening as a Turning Point

Your story is not just a story.
It is a rebirth.

In Tiger Resilience, we call this an Awakening Moment — a threshold where survival, gratitude, and purpose collide.
Where the Tiger in you fights to survive…
And the Phoenix in you rises with new eyes and a fuller heart.

This moment activates every one of the Five Pillars:

Purpose 🎯 (Heart)

You remember why you’re here: to love deeply, to show up, to live fully.

Planning 🗺️ (Mind)

You realign your priorities — no more drifting.

Practice 🔄 (Body)

You care for your healing body and choose presence in every step.

Perseverance 🏔️ (Spirit)

You move forward, not with force, but with reverence.

Providence 🌅 (Spirit)

You trust there is a reason you are still here.

The Four Domains of Awakening

Body 💪

Pain, impact, survival, healing.
Your body tells the truth the mind often avoids.

Mind 🧠

Clarity arrives in an instant: life is finite.

Heart ❤️

Love expands. Gratitude deepens.

Spirit 🔥

You feel a presence — timing, meaning, purpose.

Awakening is a whole-person transformation.

Phoenix Steps: How to Live After a Close Call

Slow down. Let life hit you gently instead of rushing past it.

Reconnect. Reach out to people while you still can.

Reorganize your priorities. Don’t wait for “later.”

Love loudly. Say the words. Give the hug. Make the call.

Live awake. Don’t go back to sleep after life shakes you.

Journal Prompts

• What moment in my life awakened me?
• Who do I need to tell “I love you” today?
• How did this story shift something in me?
• What part of me is rising from this moment?

RISE

Every breath is borrowed.
Every day is a gift.
Every moment is a chance to live awake.

You survived this for a reason —
and the next chapter is waiting for you.

📍Please leave a comment on your personal life-changing event.

Rise Strong and Live Boldly in the Bond of the Phoenix. 🐅🔥

Bernie & Michael Tiger         

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