Those Who Can't Do, Teach

I remember being fairly clumsy my whole life. One of my earliest memories is tumbling down a big flight of stairs and then taking a ride in an ambulance to get Xrays. (I was fine). This is a trait that runs in my family, at least in my mother and sister. Another event I remember very clearly from childhood was my mother falling in our dining room and cracking a rib on one of the chairs. It knocked the wind out of her and she couldn't get up. There was no 911 then (or at least in the very small Virginia town where we lived). So, I called the woman who lived next door who promptly came over to help.

I frequently discover "mystery bruises" and have no recollection of how I got them. Other times, I clearly recall running into objects, tripping on something or, more often than not, falling with nothing at all causing it. Often my accidents can be chalked up to me not paying attention and/or rushing. However, there is the pure klutz factor at work as well.

My latest fall was this past Sunday. I was hurrying to get ready for an outing with a friend and slipped on some water that was outside of the shower in the bathroom. I fell hard, onto the tile floor, mostly on my left side. Eric wasn't home, but Rusty, one of my dogs, came running when he heard the commotion. I was fine, just shaken up a bit. The soreness began setting in yesterday afternoon. By the time I left work, I was hurting from my neck on down. My shoulders and ankles were particularly painful. I ended up staying home today to rest and feel much better.

It amuses Eric to no end that I, who can barely walk in a straight line, make a living teaching other people how to walk again. It does seem somewhat counterintuitive, but I haven't been fired yet.