My Trip…Down the Stairs

For those of you how know me, know that I can be a bit of a clutz. I spend a lot of time running into things and falling over and off of things. It really does help keep me on my toes.

I am very well known in some special circles for my ability to trip while walking up the stairs. This seems to happen to me almost on a daily basis, so it doesn’t bother me too much. I have learnt to hold onto things, wear sensible shoes and so on. BUT falling down the stairs, this is a different episode all together. Overall, I have prided myself on my ability to not fall down the stairs and end up face first on the bottom landing, but my pride was surely crushed last week.

This past week, I was feeling a little under the weather, dizzy, congested, and exhausted, but I was heading off to work anyway. I was running a few minutes late, because you never really know how much time a puppy will need in the morning, so I had everything in my hands. My phone, purse, lunch, keys and of course the trash bags were all securely wrapped up in my two hands. I am walking cautiously down the stairs because I know that my hands are full, and I don’t want to drop anything.

I am about four steps from the landing when I completely miss a step. Suddenly I find myself tumbling towards the ground and all I can think is “OMG, I don’t want to break my phone!”. So I hold fast to everything in my hands, deciding that this is a better choice than bracing my fall, and hit the concrete with a thud. I feel a sharp pain shoot into both of my knees and I am sure that I have done at least some minor damage to my wrist.

But have no fear! THE PHONE IS SECURE!

Lying on the ground, with trash scattered around me I think to myself, “Thank Gawd no one was here to witness this travesty,” but boy was I wrong. I hear a man call out from a distance, “Are you ok?” and I look up to see an elderly man making his way to me. Completely embarrassed that I have not managed to keep this tragic episode a hidden secret, I jump up, allowing the pain from my knees to shoot down my legs. Adrenalin rushing, I no longer feel pain and assume that I am perfectly fine. I quickly gather up the contents of my spilled trash.
“I’m fine,” I mumble to the man as I turn redder than a tomato (which, for a mixed girl like myself, is truly a feat to be proud of) and I rush off to my car. I toss the ripped trash bag onto the floorboard thinking to myself, there is no way I am going to spend any additional time in that mans line of sight. I jam the keys into the ignition and rush off to work.

It is only once I hit the highway that I become of aware of the blood that is running down my left arm and down both of my legs. I have to wait until I am at work before I can fumble with some Band-Aids, in a meager, non-medical attempt to patch myself up.

And of course…..It was a Thursday, because I never could get the hang of Thursdays!

So it is a week later, the open wound on my wrist has healed nicely, and it will only leave a dime size scare. My right knee is right as rain, but my left one is still refusing to heal and stop bleeding. My beloved boyfriend has recommended I burn it shut, but I figure, since I have insurance and all…if need be, I will go get some stitches.

So that is my tale about my trip down the stairs…. and the moral of this story if there is one…is, be careful were you step because the landing could be farther away than you think.