Saturday, August 10, 2019

The Fall

My foot caught and I pitched forward. My eyes went wide as the deck rose up to meet my face …

I was coming up the steps from the garage, camera and bag with Chinese food in one hand. I noticed something I’d left on the back-deck railing and decided to get it. Stepping up the one step to the deck, I caught the toe of my old, falling apart Birkenstock.

Bang! I went down face first, so fast and so hard. All I remembered was a flash of the deck rising to meet my face as I slammed onto the surface. I didn’t have time to brace myself or react. (Maybe that was a good thing.)

 “AArrghh! Owwww!” A slight scream, a few loud wails. Phew, my face didn’t smash onto the floor. My chest and belly saved me (being round has some advantages).

But I was in such shock I couldn’t even swear! Immediately my mind went to: Did I want to yell loud enough to attract neighbors? (Not that many are around this time of day.) I envisioned lying outside all night with ants crawling and biting and no one finding me. Stop that thinking!

I shut my mouth around the whimpers and moans telling myself to calm and relax. I lay still. I knew I had to give my body a few minutes before I tried moving. My mind cleared, and I assessed my situation. I hurt, but nothing felt broken. My right knee and elbow were screaming telling me these hit hardest.

For a few seconds came a fear I wouldn’t be able to get up. I quelled that thought, telling myself, “I am strong!” I slowly moved, pushing off my arm/elbow. Oh yes, it hurt. I rolled onto my side, then into a sitting position, and realized I really couldn’t get up from the flat surface without anything to hold onto. Now what? Think … think …

Maybe if I work my way over to the step and slide my legs over the edge, I could reach the corner of the doorway and use it for leverage. The momentum of my fall carried me about five feet from the step (well, it would as that’s about how tall I am.)

I inched forward on my butt hoping not to get wood splinters (the deck needs painting). I made it and reached for the side of the doorway. The house siding wasn’t stable, and the reach was too far to give the leverage I needed to pull myself up. The rise of the step was too low for me to be able to push myself into a standing position without help. OK, what now?

I slid my butt down onto the landing and butt-inched my way to the steps leading to the ground. With my feet on the first step down, I was able to use the higher rise of the stairs and leverage of the post to stand up. My leg held my weight. I put my foot on the landing and pulled myself up. Yes, I could walk if I was careful!

I painfully limped over to the camera. I couldn’t believe it still worked. It hit the deck hard, too. The Chinese food was OK although one of the boxes was damaged and food spilled into the bag. My Birkenstocks, both of which had fallen off my feet, are toast. The one whose toe caught the step now has the soul split in half from the toe to mid shoe. Stubborn me even gimped over to grab the mat off the railing I originally was going after.

I called my neighbor. That’s when I started to cry. I assured him I was OK. I sat down. Let myself feel a little sorry for what happened, then started thinking about how lucky I was. I could have been seriously injured and how long would I have lain there before anyone found me?

Surprisingly, I didn’t cry a lot; not like I normally would have over situations. One of the hardest parts was still feeling in shock. My body not only felt physically bruised, but mentally and spiritually bruised, too. This was a close call. If I had tripped on any of the other stairs, it might be a totally different story … or if I’d really smashed my face.

As for the physical injuries: the bruise to my leg is a spot just below the kneecap and lateral about the size of my palm; the elbow injury is more of an abrasion medial to the elbow. I am so lucky I didn’t land directly on the kneecap or right on the elbow.

A few hours passed and I still felt a little queasy and shook up. The area below my knee hurt and felt funny-stiff when I walked. Which is kind of ironic because outside of looking a little swollen (hard to tell with my fat legs), there doesn’t look to be much damage … unless I just can’t see it.

This was the first time I’ve ever fallen like this (except when trying tricks when ice skating years ago.)

Thankfully, I slept fairly well, but by morning, the muscle aches were present, both arms, torso, and right side. I didn’t attempt the exercise routine. It even hurt a bit to breathe, which is not surprising considering how hard I body slammed the deck.

I am so lucky! It could have been much worse.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Having the right mindset



575. Dear Divine Presence: Thank you for reminding me of the importance of having the right mindset and understanding needed to tackle a challenging situation. I need to clear my mind of unnecessary chatter and create an energy and a positiveness to get the job done. I can do this! Love and Success, Sasha.