I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I”d be twins. Wanna see my scars（伤疤）？“ I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
“The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices： I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.”
“Weren”t you scared？ Did you lose consciousness？“ I asked.
Jerry continued, “The paramedics （护理人员）were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ”He“s a dead man.” “I knew I needed to take action.”
“What did you do？” I asked.
“Well, there was a big, burly （魁梧的，结实的）nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry.
“She asked if I was allergic （过敏的）to anything. ”Yes,“ I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ”Bullets！“
Over their laughter, I told them. “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.
