Only Human

Took a personal day yesterday to wrestle with the problems of my sore shoulder and my son Harry's fractured index finger, a casualty of last Friday night's Vineyard football game. Spent a long time in the morning at the chiropractor's getting all fixed up, then much of the afternoon working Harry's solution, which has to include no loss of playing time, despite that it will take 3 weeks or more to heal. Anyway, I think we have a solution, which I need to follow up with Harry at the orthopedist this afternoon, a fiberglas cast which he can wrap and tape for contact practices and games. 

My back and shoulder were feeling very tender, after the chiropractor’s adjustment, so in the evening I lay down on my bed to ice them. I drifted off while icing my back and shoulder and woke around 9, realized my dog Leo would need to pee and poop, so I gritted my teeth and got up to go out.

Still groggy, I leashed Leo and stepped onto the front porch. Leo bolted instantly after either a shadow or a rabbit or a rabbit's shadow and I, holding the leash in my left hand, followed, flying suddenly off the porch, my arm and shoulder already aching from the jolt. I landed on my hands and knees on the lawn, stood up and tried to restrain the still surging Leo, but fell backward hitting my head and my other shoulder on a hard patch of ground.  

Needless to say, I was unhappy with Leo, and I slept poorly last night.  

This morning I decided to forgive and forget, rose and made coffee and then went upstairs to my sauna and meditation. After meditating, I put on my robe and headed down the stairs, but somehow missed the last few steps and tumbled into the front door striking my aching shoulder hard against it. I lay there on the floor a minute unbelieving, as my son Harry opened his door, leaned out and asked if I was ok. Yeah, I'm fine I said.  

It is the stuff of comedy on the screen, but when it happens to you, it can be hard to remember that what has just occurred is already in the past. And there is nothing you can do to rewind the tape or reverse the digital images. Nothing you can do to change it.

That's when you just have to pick up and go on. Breathe and be grateful you are still in one piece. One day you will be able to laugh about it, so why not now?

I know, I know. We're only human.