I've Fallen

   

    There are times that I feel like a kid. Then, reality will rear its ugly head. Realizing that you are not as young and resilient as you once were, is just one of the problems a person must face. I've ignored those little signs in the past. There was a time where nothing bothered me, physically. Now, things hurt a little more than they use to. Unfortunately, I had a crash course on that problem this past weekend. I was going down the steps to our bedroom. My foot slid out from under me and I landed flat on my back. That would have been bad enough, but I was at the top of the steps. I slid all the way to the bottom, my head bouncing off each step. I'm certain my head smacked 13 times. My children consider sliding down the steps an enjoyable sport. I have to continuously yell at them for playing on the stairs. They slide down on their bellies and backs, laughing manically. My feelings are definitely different.
    There I was lying at the foot of the stairs trying to catch my breath, and take inventory. Anyone that has taken a hard fall has done the same thing. Ive dealt with enough serious injuries in my day. There was no way I was moving, until I was certain there were no bones broken, or that my neck wasn't at a weird angle. Several minutes passed before I allowed myself to relax. The hour was late. Thankfully the rest of the family was sound asleep. None of my family was there to see me sprawled out like a Crash Test Dummy. The cat was there starring at me from the book shelf. Can cats snicker and grin? I would have sworn ours did.
    Certain I was in the right number of pieces, extra parts would have meant a big problem, I slowly got up. I used the wall and chair to do it. I'm certain I grunted, groaned, and cursed my way to the bedroom. There were no children about; it was okay for me to do it. The injuries weren't bad, sorry lieutenants. I am still tougher than that. But, it did make me think. There have been times when I took far worse tumbles, from greater distances, and higher velocity. Granted, some of them involved the heavy consumption of alcohol. Others, they just involved the stupidity of youth. Each episode seemed to result in minor scrapes and bruises.
    My muscles were tightening as I lay in bed contemplating my situation. My mind wandered through all the bad things that my body had been subject to. There seemed to be an endless number of things. Around nine, I wanted to be a stuntman. Endless hours were spent wrecking my bike, jumping out of the barn onto hay bales, with other tumbles and falls. That dream only lasted a summer, but I put my young body through the ringer. Band-aids and hot baths fixed it all then. I'm sure my body will feel the effects later in life. A cane will probably be the results. I wonder if I can get one that looks like a light saber, or a giant thigh bone?

    Besides the rigors of military life; thee has been a lot of drunken stunts, and years of fighting in medieval reenactment battles. None of these are conducive to a gently life in my twilight years. Running around in 75 lbs of armor beating on people, gave me almost as many injuries as chasing bad guys in foreign lands. Both required physical exertion that most normal people avoid. Is it bad that your hobbies are almost as dangerous as your job? Maybe, but what fun they have been.
    My bones do creek now. All my joints hurt a little when the weather is bad. I Haven't heard been able to turn my neck as far as most people can in years. The medicine cabinet is now filled with actual medicines, not those other things. Despite this, I want to stay as active as I can. I like to think of Lonesome Dove as I get older. They were crazy old men. But they were tough old men. Age is creeping up on me, but I am still a long way from the grave. Maybe I should check into skydiving, deep sea salvage. They could be fun.