Day 35

7-17-08

I fell down today, and was in an indomitably good mood all morning.

Jogging to catch the bus, my mind elsewhere, my shoe decided to stay firmly on the ground while my foot kept valiantly moving forward. The next second I was sprawled on the concrete. It was truly spectacular, the stuff of legends really, arms out in front, so quick you don’t even see the falling part, right in front of the group of auto shop workers in their grey coveralls, sitting on the curb with the their cigarettes, waiting for the work day to begin. I managed, in the magical way that is always true with falls, to somehow catch both my knees, on opposite sides, my elbow, my hip and right palm. Nothing serious, nothing deep enough to bleed, and my book bags, which I always carry in front so I can link my hands together, caught most of my fall.

I was up in record time, though it seemed like an eternity compared to the time it took me to get down on the ground in the first place. After calming what seemed like a million “Are you okay?”s, we were back of to the bus stop, and a grin was spreading, unbidden, across my face.

I’m not sure why my spectacular foray into excessive klutziness left me feeling so spectacular. Maybe it was that I was suddenly and forcibly reminded to be in the moment, not taking lengthy detours in my head. Maybe it was because it reminded me of the good ol’ days when I was a kid and got into scrapes all the time. When I wasn’t afraid to get knocked around a bit, when the scratches gained from frolicking through the woods barefoot were something to boast about. Maybe it was just because it had gotten my adrenaline pumping, who knows. It sure was a nice morning though.