CNN
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Jeremy Renner is has physically recovered from the near-fatal accident he suffered last January, but the experience has stayed with him.
The “Avengers” star was crushed near his Nevada home while trying to stop his snow-removal tractor from sliding and hitting his nephew. He broke several bones including eight ribs, an eye socket, a knee and a shoulder.
Renner recently spoke with CNN about his recovery from the accident and how his life has changed in the past nine months.
“I just feel very blessed and very lucky to be upright and walk around and to live life,” Renner said. “I’m very, very clear. My life is really lean, if that makes sense. There’s no fat in my life anymore. I don’t have time for that. So, there’s something really beautiful about having that superpower.”
Renner added that his time feels “more valuable” now. He had chosen to travel to Charleston, S.C., where he has partnered with local spirits company Sweet Grass Vodka, who he had been working with before the accident.
“I was really clear about how I want to spend my time, and who I want to spend my time with,” he said. “This to me feels like family, sort of lifestyle things we talk about all the time. And then we have the spirit itself, it’s much more the shared experience. And that to me is where I want to spend my time.”
Renner described “gifts” he feels he has gained as a result of nearly losing his life.
“There is a lot of gifts that I received because of it,” Renner said. “When you’re tested physically, emotionally, spiritually, in every way, and then to come through it, that’s something hard to explain.”
Having regained his mobility, Renner looked and sounded healthy and grateful.
“Perseverance. Strength. It’s all a mental game. I put it in my back pocket now. I know how to deal with pain. It’s all mind. It’s all in the mind. If you can sift through the fog of it all, I am very blessed.”
