When I was younger, I could have definitely been described as a "tomboy" most of the time...I played sports, I wasn't into "girly" things like dolls or fashion, and I wound up with plenty of skinned knees and multiple bruises. Sure, it probably didn't help that I was a major klutz, but not all of my injuries were due to my inability to stay on my feet. I suppose I should consider myself lucky in that my worst injuries were sprained ankles, a dislocated knee and a few trips to the doctor for stitches.
Fortunately, as I've grown up, I've gotten much more coordinated...and while I'm still a kid at heart (e.g., my weekly kickball league), I'm a bit more feminine too. You wouldn't have known that yesterday though. No. Yesterday, I attended a 4th of July bash in Neptune Beach. It was a pretty nice day - not too hot, plenty of drinks, tasty food, etc. Later in the afternoon, a little storm rolled through...and this is where my day went downhill...fast.
A large group of us were gathered under a tent in the driveway when I decided to make a dash for the stairs and get inside and out of the rain. Unfortunately, at the same time I was making that choice in my head, the girl next to me decided to squash over to give her friend room on the other side. Disaster! As I was making my dash, I tripped over her foot and went down in an unladylike heap of embarrassment and shame. As if falling weren't enough, I also successfully removed the top couple layers of skin on my right knee, scraped the side of my left knee, gashed my right elbow, scraped my left hand, and somehow semi-demolished the big toe on my left foot. Oh yea...and then I skidded back into one of the bbq grills...fortunately it didn't rain embers down on me (clearly the only plus side to this whole thing).
Awesome, right? Then, while everyone stood staring at me, only ONE person made a move to help me up and ask if I was okay. Clearly I was not. I then became the spectacle to behold in one of the upstairs bedrooms...some sweet girl I barely knew trying to clean up my gashes, my good Samaritan gathering up the bloody towels, while many others stood gawking at me from the doorway. (As an aside, whoever created alcohol wipes is an asshole...those things HURT!!!) I made my exit soon thereafter...partly so I could get properly cleaned up at home and partly so everyone else could be free to make fun of "that girl" without me being there to witness it.
Not exactly a fabulous 4th...and definitely a clear illustration of why growing up and skipping the skinned knees is a good thing!
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Ouch!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're alright. Your unfortunate incident really underscores the almost abject fear of helping someone that most of us have. A shame, really.
Get some triple ointment on those things, if you've not already done so. That stuff is made of miracles and unicorn tears. Needless to say, I really like triple/Neosporin.
As for embarrassment with a light injury topping: I was, ironically, celebrating 4th of July with my parents and the rest of my family some years ago. We were at some state park in mid-Maine. A nice spot by the lake with easy and unobstructed access to the 'beach'. Well, unobstructed save for the short retaining wall that dropped down about a foot and a half.
Now, most know me as a rather reserved, not too animated man. One who would, say, never run into the water like he had caught himself aflame while being chased by bees.
I was a different person then.
So, long story short. I was going to make a furious sprint into the lake and go swimming until food was ready.
Off I went, jumping off the wall (rather than, more safely, dropping off the wall), landed, lost my balance, and did this sort of slow motion drunken amble toward the lake.
It's important to note at this time, I was semi-relieved to see the water so close. Unbalanced as I was, I could be assured a nice, if not ungraceful, landing in the water.
Fate has a wicked sense of humor. I am a poor judge of distance with my glasses off.
Down I went, inches from the water. Face-first. Unceremoniously heaped upon the sand.
Then, I did what any self-respecting showoff would do: I made it look like I was trying to "swim" on land.
To this day, I still get comments from my relatives there that day, about my spectacular 'swimming' abilities.
Happy Fourth. I hope you at least got to enjoy some patriotic blowing-things-up!