Whoops!

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Slipped on the stairs and fell the other day.  Hard.  The worst part was the instant contemplation of skipping down the remaining 40 or so steps after the first three or four.  I was at the top.  When I gathered my single wit together, that bit of awareness told me I was rapidly gathering speed and headed south.  Yikes!  I could see launching myself into the sea!  So, I grabbed a vertical post to limit any further descent and slumped in a heap to a stop.

I may be getting a little old for this…?

I get hurt all the time.  This should not have been any different.  But it was.  It was different because I was being careful this time.  I was even holding on to the rail.  I knew it was slippery.  I was being cautious. OK, maybe slippers were the wrong choice of footwear but, being aware is 99% of the issue as a rule.  Not this time.  I was down in a blink and moving like Eddie the eagle.

I tend to disregard all that trauma, blood, pain and suffering not because I am heroic or brave but simply because 1. it happens now before I even know it is happening.  The accident is really fast!  My reaction time is really slow.  Ergo, it is all a complete surprise and therefore I may as well not worry about it anymore.  If I die, I am likely to be the last to know.

2. Sally always says, “Oh, Gawd!  Just get over it!”  You could have an arrow sticking through both ears and Sal would say, “Well, just pull it out and get on with it!”   She’s a lovely person but has the pain threshold of a boulder.  She simply cannot empathize.

3. Sal says no one wants to hear about it anyway. The book had just two incidents of trauma to illustrate the physical challenges.  We had a dozen from which to choose. “Save ’em.  You may want to write another book!” 

The reality is that I have been a smidge in denial about OTG and safety.  I tend to think that one can be run over by a bus in the city and the country just has different threats so why dwell on them.  And that is still largely true for me but I reluctantly admit that living on terrain that is generally comprised of sloping rocks angling between ten and thirty degrees is a bit more of a daily challenge than the slow amble in the foyer, mall or the plastic seat on skytrain (unless you occasionally walk the middle rail as some do).

Yes.  Traffic in the city is more dangerous.  No question.  So, you see my point.  Danger everywhere.  As Alfred E. Neuman said, “What, me worry?”  

As for the latest bump, it is a large bruise down my left side.  Except for bending, I am almost fine.  Bending seems to ‘crunch’ the bruises and that inhibits too much gamboling and frolicking about but Sal and I went about our business today (after three days of healing) and we brought 18 pieces of lumber up the highline from the beach.  We had to. More is coming.

Before we could do that, I had to start the old Honda winch.  It wouldn’t go so I took it to the workbench and stripped it, cleaned it and generally fussed over it.  It then started. Probably only took 60 or 70 pulls.  20 Advil.  But carrying it and pulling the cord was getting painful so Sal took it back.  In the wheelbarrow.  She affixed it in place.   Then she popped down to the beach to load the lumber and I hauled it up.

Then, we took the engine apart again and stored in the dry room.

A day in the life…..

 

 

10 thoughts on “Whoops!”

  1. Last time I fell I ended up with a frozen shoulder. Main symptom could not raise my right arm. It hurt and I am not wimp. We ended up putting grip strips on the stairs. They are not the perfect solution aa they do not deal well with freezing rain. Do you have cork boots?

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  2. Oh, I have all sorts of ways to fix this….jus’ didn’t do it. But that is one of the reasons for the wood. Doin’ the stairs…grip, finish, mesh, preservative…..jus’ thought I’d get in one last tumble before we do it.

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  3. How about rough roofing shingle strips? My 81 year old neighbour suggests that to me every time she visits. Dave, make a note on your calendar so when you forgot why your ribs/side etc. are major sore you will remember why. I did the fall down our 7 front steps and cracked 7 ribs, took about 5 years (and lots of chiro) to get somewhat back to the usual abilities (less the 5 years of … etc.) If that is truly your last tumble fine, BUT … get the fixing done. Seriously.
    Joy

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  4. Slip falls. The bane of our existance.
    The days of doing a tumble and roll down a flight of stairs without spilling one drop of beer from your glass and springing back to your feet to show off your physical dexterity to conserve alcohol at ANY cost…….are over.
    I guess the OTG lifestyle does have a few disadvantages.
    Namely, timely evacuation in the unforseen problem of a “medical” event.
    BUT, living in the city would just mean your 5 minute ambulance ride to an overwhelmed emergency room where you would still wait for hours……..
    6 of one, half a dozen of the other.
    Oddly enough. I find the second day after an injury the most painful.
    With the exception of cracked ribs…..those hurt immediately. And when it hurts to laugh…..thats when i laugh at the stoopidest things….like my own pain. The masochist in me I guess.
    And like our 18th century forefathers discovered……Alcohol seems to help. Dunno why but thats MY prescription for pain

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  5. My sympathies! Bin there, done that (failure to put on crampons for that ‘only 50 feet’ trip.) Winter accidents are best prevented by heading south. My timing is however not beyond reproach – just returned to 8 inches of snow. Will stay indoors until it melts!

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    • Now that you have a cleaning lady, stay in bed!
      I am almost back to normal. Struggle with socks. That’s about it.
      Getting hurt really is part of the deal – just like to keep it to the odd scratch, skinned knuckle or flattened thumb if I could. Mind you, we have guys who severed limbs, sewed ’em back on and they are still doing fine so maybe I am a wuss.
      Glad you are back. If I was the persistent, harassment type, I would ask for the cauliflower recipe again but I respect the blood oath you took to keep it secret. I won’t ask again. But, if you find your cabin kitchen rifled through one day but nothing was taken, I suggest it was a bear.

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  6. I try to be careful but that doesn’t always work. I was walking the gangplank between our cabin and the float to shore just when a boater ripped by and sent out a huge wake. It flipped me up, I tried to leap over the gap, landed on with my thigh on the edge of the deck (big ouch), did a back flip, and ended up under water. I had the biggest hematoma you can imagine. The up side, I now have a built in rain gauge. When the weather turns, It starts to ache. Well, to be honest, in winter it doesn’t know when to stop. Nothing bad, just enough to remind me to be careful. – Margy

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