When I was a shorty, I had a yellow ten speed bike; it took me awhile to get the hang of it but, once I did, it was off to the races.One day, I encountered what the Jamaicans call a sleeping policeman and went airborne (sans helmet) over my handlebars. See that vague oval shape above my eyebrow? It was quite nasty and oozing lots of pus at one point. I never saw the inside of a hospital which makes me think about Natasha Richardson. She fell on snow. I bounced off concrete. To borrow a Langston Hughes title -- my soul looks back in wonder.
I suffered another head injury when I was even shorter. My mother was trying to get me to put on pajamas and I ran away, hopped on the bed and bounced off onto a radiator. I went to the hospital instead of to bed and I have a small spot on my head that will never grow hair again.
Maybe I thought I was a gymnast -- trying to do a back handspring or something...
Any memorable injuries?
Happy Friday and a good weekend to all...
*I flew off my ten speed around a corner in some gravel at age 10 and slid so far that the gravel tore through my sweatshirt to my arms and belly and my jeans through to the knees. I had gravel embedded in my palms.
ReplyDelete*I flew off my bike over the hood of a car landed on my ass and slid at a speed of cruising down a long hill at 17 when a woman at a stop sign pulled out in front of me.
*I was playing a huge game of hide and seek with the hood kids and one fell out of a tree onto my shoulder and I broke my ankle as I fell down at age 13 spent the summer learning to run on my crutches and tearing off pieces of the cast.
*When I was 40 I was walking with my friend on a sandy road and it was dusk...I stepped in a hole and sprained my ankle badly and was put in an air cast... I swam a one mile rough water swim I was registered for exactly 9 days later often dragging the cast in pools for practice and taking long slow swims out in the ocean with the group of wise swimmer cronies I found in La jolla cove. :)
midlife_swimmer,
ReplyDeleteWhoa! You definitely have some memorable injuries. :) I love it that you swam with your cast.
You reminded me of another injury that I sustained. I was playing hide and seek as well. My arm got caught on a piece of fence. I still have the scar on my left arm. I could see the white meat and everything...
For the record, I love La Jolla.
I probably shouldn't have snickered, but I did... "went to the hospital instead of bed." :)
ReplyDeleteThe guys I played hockey with in high school plotted checking me, simultaneously, from both sides (like a sandwich) and I tore every ligament and tendon as my body flipped and rotated and my foot was held between the 2 of them. What WINNERS, huh? My foot was sensitive to TOUCH for 6 months, I swear. Getting my skate off my foot was the most pain I've ever been in. In retrospect, I would've allowed them to cut it off my foot!
I was riding my bike with no hands when I was 7 or 8. I wasn't looking in front of me and ran right into the back of a car! Another time I went down a slide head first and sliced my chin open!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about those in years until I read your great post!
I miss my bike, but that is exactly why I will not bike in this city. I am accident prone and Santiago is out to get me. I would end up in the ER by the end of the week.
ReplyDeleteYou've had TWO head injuries! Oh my.
ReplyDeleteThat explains a lot.
I don't think I have any memorable injuries and suddenly feel quite boring!
ReplyDelete@Nicole, Rd,
ReplyDeleteIt's okay to snicker. I should have put on my pajamas. :)
I can't believe that those two lovely gentlemen went after you the way they did and put your foot out of commission for that long.
I wish that I had been introduced to hockey (famous last words). I'm looking for new things do so maybe I should try ice skating. We'll see...
@Diane Fit to the Finish,
Ouch! On both counts... It might have been better than you didn't see the car. I've heard that when you're relaxed, you're injuries tend to be less severe.
I was riding with no hands this past week and the bike almost got away from me. :)
@sarabeck,
Accident prone, hunh? I wanna hear about one but not the one where you end up in the ER. :)
@gingersnapper,
:o, That was below the belt. Just kidding. You may very well be right. :)
@Diane,
It's all good. You must have amazing coordination and focus. :)
It's so amazing how resilient we are as kids. When we get older, we get hurt so much easier. My brother and I were talking a couple weeks ago about how he stubbed his toe. It hurt him for days!
ReplyDeleteMy injuries all happened in one drunken semester at college. I sprained each of my ankles twice. The first time was the best. I had to go see REM the next day. My bff had to push me around in a wheel chair from the 1920s. It was raining. So I held a big pink umbrella over both of our heads. We trucked through Philly like that! Everyone stopped and stared at us. It rocked.
Farty Girl,
ReplyDeleteIt's funny and, of course, not funny that your brother was put *out of commission* via toe stubbing.
I love the image of you being rolled around in an old chair with a pink umbrella. I'm sure it was quite the spectacle. Also, you cramming in injuries like one crams for an exam is not bad either. ;)