when the lights nearly go out

I won't be going into what happens when the power fails... I mean the kind of blackout that affects pilots. Although I'm not a pilot, I experienced one. The cause was exhaustion, dehydration, and possibly less oxygen than my brain would have liked. I had the presence of mind to sit down and breathe deeply so my body could recover and I could see something other than darkness. I recovered fairly quickly. The lesson? Listen to what your body is telling you — it usually warns you in advance that something like this is coming and you have a chance to prevent it. Next time I'll breathe properly, eat, and drink!