Face-plant

I fell down yesterday. 

It was totally avoidable. I wasn't watching where I was stepping. And I landed face first in the dirt with a skinned knee, a bruised elbow, and a bump on my right cheekbone. 

The reasons for my fall (I could call them excuses) were that someone left the garden hose in a high-traffic area, I was distracted by trying to focus on the dog who was anxious to make his way to the yard to do his business, and the path was fairly narrow. However, I could have avoided the situation if I had just been more careful about where I placed my feet. So, I take full responsibility for my error. 

The end result was that I was flat on my stomach with my face in the dirt, pebbles and grass, about 2 feet from an outdoor garbage can, and I felt helpless to right myself. 

The dog did his best to help. Unfortunately, his version of helping was prancing around my head and licking my face until I could hardly breathe. 

No help there.

I'd been in that position for about 2 minutes (it felt like longer) when I heard the door open and someone step out onto the deck above me. He told me later that he didn't even know I was down there until he moved closer to the railing and saw my white Crocs upside down on the pavement (my feet still in them.) Then he saw my legs and oh-my-gosh-are-you-all-right? he was there in no time flat. "Can you get up?" he asked. "I think so," I stammered, "but the dog wants to help me and I don't want to hurt him ..." 

He laughed, "I can see that," and picked up the leash. He held the dog back while I got to my hands and knees and then got my feet under me and stood up. He offered his arm to lean on as I pulled myself to my feet.

Without his help, I would not have been able to get out of my predicament. So I was (and am) extremely grateful for him coming to my aid.  I made sure to thank him sincerely. After that, we started joking around about it. Laughing privately after the fact helped me not feel so embarrassed.

Sometimes, whether by their own fault or not, people need help and not judgment or criticism. That was one instance.

My would-be hero. NOT!   ;)

When someone makes a mistake and needs help to get out of a jam, it could be very easy to ridicule or find fault. "You should not have done that" can be reserved for after the crisis ... or not said at all, how about that? My benefactor was more interested in whether I was hurt than whose fault it was that I fell. I like that. It confirmed to me the fact that he cares about me. When an examination revealed that my glasses were also bent in the fall, he drove me to the optician's office to get them fixed (which they did, thank you very much!) 

So in spite of the aches and pains I had later in the day, and in spite of the embarrassment of the fall, and the vulnerability, and the silly behavior of the dog, and the extra trip to town, I could look back on the day and call it a good one. Why? because in spite of it all, I knew I was loved, cared for, and appreciated.  I was not angry at the dog for preventing me from getting up or for distracting me. I was determined not to let my attention wander like that again, and grateful that I didn't sprain my ankle, and that's it. 

That's all. A fast fall on the hard-packed, dusty ground, a bit of road rash on one knee, and the helping hand of my best friend. What could be more simple than that?  

Perhaps the next time I see someone in a helpless position, whether by accident or not, I will not be so quick to judge, and quicker to just lend a hand. 

Careful Watch

He has done it for decades without calling attention to it. He has been our guardian - our protector. He has set a careful watch over our little family and he has been the go-to person in times of crisis ... unless he was in one of his own. He has soldiered on for years, uncomplaining, when he really should have asked to have his own needs met. 

Like about two and a half years ago, when he was shoveling snow off the deck. His shovel hit a nail and he felt an immediate searing pain in the front of his right shoulder. But he didn't seek medical attention. He figured it would heal. Sure, he was weaker in that arm but he was getting older, right? 

Then, a year and a half ago, he playfully whiffed a snowball overhand at our daughter during one of the first major snowfalls of the season - and felt that pain again. This time he could not hide it. We insisted that he mention it to his doctor. He did - two months later - after we would not let him forget it. 

An X-ray, an appointment with a specialist, and an MRI later (all of which took about 8 months) they booked him for surgery to repair the place where he had partially torn his biceps muscle out of his right rotator cuff. (He's right-handed). 

Just after he got back from the recovery room.
So relieved to have the surgery behind him!!

And this morning, he finally had the surgery. All went as planned and he even got the first slot for morning surgery, so the OR was spotless and he was done in jig time. 

After he was out of recovery, they watched him and gave us instructions for post-op care. Within about an hour, we were back home and we got him all set up in his recliner, which we'd rigged with a "remote" so he could use his left hand to operate it. He got comfortable and then started drifting in and out of sleep, without the benefit of pain medications. 

And now he is still doing the same - trooper that he is. The air conditioning is on, and we are pretty much at his beck and call until he is able to get out of the sling - to our surprise he will only be in it for 2 weeks before he can start physiotherapy, which is far better than we anticipated; before the surgery, the doctor had told us that it could be as much as six weeks before physio. That tells us that things went well and there were no unexpected events... which is great news, and we are very relieved! 

As a result, I feel a bit more confident in leaving when I go out of province to start my practicum in another couple of weeks or so. He will be all healed up and strong again by American Thanksgiving!

But in the meantime, instead of being the person who watches over others, we get to watch over him - and it is a privilege to have the opportunity to return the favor to him. He deserves it - and more - so we continue our careful watch.