Thursday afternoon, snow storm on Cape Cod, nice fluffy pretty snow flakes. The birds are standing around the grape arbor looking dismal and hungry, so out I go to fill the feeders from the barrels of seed in the garage. As I walked across the driveway I spaced out on the fact that most of the yard is covered by four inches of solid shiny ice deposited there by a big rain storm on Tuesday night. Fluffy snow + black ice = slapstick fun.
One second I am shuffling along in the crisp New England air, three birdfeeders in my hands. The next I am on my back, staring at the sky, my mouth filled with black thistle seeds.
I look to my right and the thistle tube is shattered. I realize, in order:
a) my head really hurts and I do indeed see stars.
b) my left elbow won’t bend
c) my left knee hurts
d) I feel something very wrong on the right side of my back.
So I slowly stand up. Look around, think, “That must be what it’s like to get run over by a car.”
And I hobbled inside, covered with snow, to tweet: “just absolutely nuked myself – slipped on icy driveway, flipped in air, landed on head …. chugging advil”
Friday morning I woke up feeling very beaten and bruised, but it wasn’t until I sneezed that I realized there was something significantly wrong with my rib-cage somewhere low on my back. The pain was cosmic. So I called the doctor, went to see him, and yep, broken rib.
How broken? When I move I can feel the broken ends grind against each other.
Impact on life? No CRASH-B sprints in February. No serious exercise. Too many pain killers. And I’m pissed off.
But the birds got their bird seed.
David,
Sorry that you were injured – the rib sounds like a bad deal. How are the other joints?
Ice can be nasty!
Very interesting commentary that your inclination was to tweet your mishap following your initial triage of the situation – social technologies seem to quickly be surplanting a phone call to friends.
Do you see the world moving toward a state of perpetual connection?
Mark
ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you definitely need a jacuzzi bath tub,the addition of which was the best part of our remodel project last year.
get well, and stop doing cartwheels on ice.
jimF
“How broken? When I move I can feel the broken ends grind against each other.”
OUCH!
I hope you heal quickly!
Thanks Andy. I am a fast healer, just a bitchy patient.
Yech, that’s given me the drive to go out and re-salt my driveway. I’ve already fallen a few times out there over the past couple weeks.
Sounds like it’s time for you to curl up with a good book or do a film festival. Give yourself the time you need!
Oh no! Feel better. Nothing like a dose of reality in the winter. My teammate when I was playing volleyball at Bentley grew up in Texas and didn’t know what black ice was. She slipped and busted her chin open on a doorway. Lots of stitches. You’re not alone. Perhaps this is a sign to slow down and “smell the roses” while on lots of painkillers. Heal quickly!
Hmmm,
Let’s see…
three kids at home for Winter Break, two young, strong boys, one of whom will be graduating into a real and bleak world soon and be very much in need of Dad’s help…
not one of them is out there shoveling, salting, breaking up the ice?
Not sure what went wrong there but soon it will be hips and not ribs that get broken.
Ah, age…
Fester,
I can’t wait until you have kids. And I like to feed the birds.
Very, very sorry – be careful of the back as well. Finally, important saftey tip – no sneezing for the next three months.
Extra protein