Accidents happen. There’s no way to prevent all of them. We are imperfect beings living in a chaotic universe. So, running into the occasional mishap is simply part of life. Still, sometimes something happens which leaves us shaking our head and red faced from the shocking stupidity that can erupt when imperfect people collide head on with an imperfect world.
Tonight I had one of those moments. After a long day of cleaning and organizing my house, I was ready to relax and then go to bed early. With the new school year fast approaching, I’ve been aiming to slowly shift my schedule--gradually going to bed earlier so I can be ready for much earlier mornings. To help me unwind, I hopped in the hot tub and soaked for a while. By the time 10:00 pm rolled around, I was de-stressed and more than ready to sleep.
However, before I drifted off to dreamland, I wanted to be nice and pack my fiance a lunch to take to work in the morning. He works so incredibly hard for our family, so he deserves a healthy lunch waiting for him when he wakes up. Well, I busily went to work in the kitchen and gathered everything I needed to pack his lunch.
Within seconds, I had everything I needed to pack my fiance’s lunch...except a container to pack his sandwich. We store these containers on the top shelf of the corner cabinet--well out of this fun-sized individual’s reach. Too much in a hurry to get done and get to bed, I skipped leaving the room to get the step stool. Instead, I slid over one of the chairs from the kitchen table and climbed up to grab a container.
As soon as the container was in hand, the chair started to lurch. Before I could even scream, one the legs of the chair bent and I went flying head over heels! My hip slammed into the metal part of the chair, my entire weight surging behind it. I continued to roll forward, and before I knew it, I flipped head first over my shoulder and landed on my knee and elbow.
Believe you me, that fall knocked the wind out of me and I literally felt like I was dying! I hit a pressure point in my hip as I crashed into the back of the chair. That alone would have done me in. But oh, no. I HAD to collide with the floor at such a velocity that it forced every last bit of air out of my lungs.
I stayed there laying in a tangled heap on the kitchen floor for what seemed like an eternity. Saucer-sized cat eyes stared back at me in utter disbelief and fear. Then one of my cats decided to be brave and walked across my back for a closer look. She then plopped down and lied next to me with her little furry behind stuffed in my face.
All I could think was this is it. This is the end, and the last thing I’ll see in this life is fuzzy feline butt! Miraculously, though, I gasped and my breath rushed back into my chest. Of course, this little ‘near-death experience’ probably only lasted mere seconds. But to me, it felt like I really HAD been knocking on deaths door. I was so relieved to be alive...and able to move the hairy cat rear away from my face!
However, as I tried to stand up, the reality of my accident started to sink in. I could feel the swelling in my hip, elbow, and knee immediately. As I struggled against the pain to right myself, I felt blood dripping down my leg. And finally, as my children came rushing into the room to see what all the ruckus was about, the true pain of my mishap sank in--my pride was definitely more than a little bruised!
As my children asked me a zillion questions (including why my pajama shorts had partially fallen down), I began to wonder to myself which hurts worse: my body or my ego? Suffice it to say, I am still awake 5 hours later nursing my very sore hip, my banged up knee and elbow, and my wounded dignity.
No, this whole incident wasn’t my fault. Apparently, the chair had a faulty weld on one of the legs. It was a hidden accident just waiting to happen and I was the “lucky” one to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, I can’t help but feel embarrassed and a bit like a clutz. The fact is I’m a magnet for freak accidents, and this isn’t the first time I’ve found myself the hapless and blushing victim of circumstance. I know it won’t be the last either.
Over the years, I’ve realized that my body is pretty adept at bouncing back from accidents, and I think that within a matter of days, I should be back to my old self. But what about my pride? Well, this one was a doozy and only time will tell if I can live down this mishap!
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