I was just reading the post by Debbie Malone about her husband falling off the roof and it brought to mind all the times "things" have happened to me.
We moved here from the UK almost 17 years ago, no sooner did we arrive than my business went belly up and being here on an entrepreneur visa, getting a job was not an option. We were only allowed to work for ourselves, and the idea was that we would provide jobs for others. Well in the midst of all this there were several times we did not carry health insurance, it was just to expensive and paying the mortgage was more important, or so I thought. Of course all these events happened when we did not have insurance coverage.
The first "Thing" was the kids had a skiing day with their elementary school on a slope not far from home, so we decided to go, I have not skied for a long time but thought like a bike once you know how to do it, it will come back. Well after a little time on the learner slope I thought I was ready. Trudy reminded me to be careful, she was not skiing but sitting in the lodge. After almost getting killed getting off the ski lift, I'd forgotten just how complicated it is getting the skis lined up and holding your poles but managed after throwing myself flat on the ground so I could keep my head and draggin myslef out of the line of the lifts to get to my feet. My first run was a gentle exhilirating experience, absolutely on the edge of no control the whole way. Feeling I was getting the hang of this I mounted the lift once again and managed to exit somewhat more gracefully this time. However the descent became a nightmare. I was crossing a junction in the trail and got cut up by some faster skiers and ended up flipping and landed on my shoulder.
So I am lying there and can feel my shoulder is not right, parts are moving that should not be moving. As I am lying there, some friends come up and ask if I am OK, pride gets the better of me, maybe it was lunacy and I say I am just winded. Well when they have skied down and come upon me again still lying there they realize something is not right. so they get the ski patrol and I get taken down all the time thinking it might be better if God would just take me now as opposed to facing my wife's wrath. Anyway I had separated my shoulder, and with a massive snowstorm coming in we had to drive to a hospital. We skidded off the road up a slip road once on the way and then made it there. After waiting hours to get seen, the wiper blades had stuck to the windscreen and burnt out when we started the engine. We of course coming from England were not used to this type of winter weather. We drove home the rest of the way leaning out wiping the windscreen so we could see. I eventually healed without surgery, but it still sticks up on one side.
The second "thing" was falling off a ladder and breaking my back, well fracturing two verterbrae, but that was also amazing that I did nothing more. I had the ladder against the house on the driveway and it just slipped out, as I fell I tried to relax and miraculously my feet landed between the rungs, I tried to give with my legs but just not enough. Again I am lying there calling for help, but as the children were home Trudy thought it was just the kids yelling. Eventually she came and found me and tried to help me up but I could not get up, so we ended up calling an ambulance, but it could have been much worse after other stories I heard of people falling off ladders.
I think a lot of my problem is that although I am now a little older, my image of myself is several years younger but my body does not agree. Other old injuries are a fracture to my neck playing rugby when I was sixteen, both knees have had cartiledge ops, and last year I broke my nose playing softball, forgot you cannot take your eye off that ball...anyway still believe that this body is capable of some feats before it is time to check out.
And yes, even after 25 years of marriage I still find it hard to listen to my wife to be careful, if I did that life would probably be a lot easier.
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