On my daily 30-minute morning walk, I move out at a great pace, with my long legs (I’m still about 5’9”). So last year, at my half-way point beside a lovely stream with a Beware of Alligators sign, I was keeping to the right side of the sidewalk, since bicyclists sometimes pass on my left unexpectedly. Suddenly, my right foot landed halfway off the pavement, and the grass there, level with the concrete, turned out to be camouflaging a hole. My ankle twisted.
I lost my balance, and momentum drove me into a full-length face plant onto the rough sidewalk. Lifting my head, I noticed a few drops of blood hitting the walk beneath me. It was early on a Saturday, and although I could see some cars at the nearby tennis courts, there wasn’t a soul within hailing distance. No alligators either.
Did a quick mental inventory of body parts…Hands a bit achy. Arms OK. Legs, knees, even that ankle seemed fine, no pains in hips or shoulders. I realized, “All right, I’ll just get up myself.”
I really hate putting full body weight on my two replaced knees, but there was no alternative. Halfway through my manoeuvres to return to a standing position, I realized I was thankful no one could see the graceless way I achieved it. But by God, I did. Checking arms and legs again, I saw no abrasions anywhere.
But that blood….
I put a hand to my face, and felt it. There was a cut above my left eyebrow, another on my left cheekbone, and my lip was split. My three contact points, face first. I rooted in my pocket, came up with a single tissue, blotted the cuts, and walked 15 minutes home at almost my original pace.
This morning as I walked the same route, I smiled as I passed that spot, walking right in the middle of the sidewalk. The bicyclists are just going to have to look out for themselves.
Ann Sargent
#thegirlwhotalkedtoomuch #americangoverness
Ann Dickinson Sargent 