My Pollyanna Nature

Yesterday I had a mishap in the street and suffered excruciating pain. Last night, mentally processing the event, my attitude changed: I became grateful at what happened. My innate Pollyanna nature kicked in. If you're curious about this mystery, read on.

Some context is necessary. I can see but have drastic limitations. For example I have no peripheral vision. If I look straight ahead I can't see what's below on the ground. 

I also have high metabolism. Living in New York accelerate that trait. I walk fast, talk fast and drove fast. After my vision loss I deliberately slowed down my pace which is helpful: it gives me more time to avoid trouble.

When I'm in public by myself I walk slowly and scan the ground for obstacles. Usually that works. Mishaps I've had have something in common: they occur when I'm hurrying. When rushing my eyes move up to see where I'm going. Unfortunately that means they aren't seeing what's on the ground. My vision doesn't include both views.

Yesterday I was walking home from Starbucks on a busy commercial road. I was crossing an intersection with no traffic signal. Halfway across a car came speeding around the corner, driving very fast. I hurried to get out of its way. I made to the other side -- but didn't notice a curb there. Moving at a runner's pace, my foot hit the curb and my entire body went airborne. Literally. Flying through the air I had enough time to think, "Well, this is new. I've never experienced this before. I wonder what will happen next?" Then, BAM! My body crashed to the ground. It felt like I'd fallen out of a plane. I landed on my hands and knees with such force it was like having a heavy person strapped to my back instead of a 20 lb. backpack.

The impact stunned me. I landed on very rough concrete so my palms and knees were ripped and bloody. My body swelled up instantly and I couldn't move. I laid on the ground for 10-15 minutes before I could move anything. In addition to pain I noticed my right arm is badly sprained; I can't rotate it.

During the time I writhed in pain on a busy street you may wonder if anyone stopped to help. No, they did not. There is no community left in modern America. Dozens of cars passed by without assisting. I finally summoned my strength, got up and staggered a half-mile home. Bleeding and worried about my arm.

Later in the day I thought about the incident and my mood shifted. I became grateful. Why? I'm glad the fall didn't injure me worse.

Every day I do pushups, planks and lift free weights. My arms and upper torso are strong, especially for my age. When I hit the ground it was like doing a massive pushup: my body moved downward while my arms and chest pushed upward. It was instinct to protect my head. Fortunately no part of my head hit the ground. If I didn't have upper-body strength my head would have smacked into the concrete, causing at least a concussion and bloody facial wounds. And possibly worse. 

Two years ago a friend and I were walking in Savannah when we saw an elderly woman trip and fall. She hit her head on the sidewalk and was dazed and bleeding. We rushed to her aid. I used my handkerchief to stop the bleeding. We tried to calm her but she was so dazed as to be incoherent. Obviously she was badly injured from the head-blow. A few minutes later her adult-daughter came running up and took over. She assured us they would be fine as she helped her mother stagger home. She declined our repeated offers for more assistance.

My perspective on yesterday is that my diminished vision may make mishaps possible but my overall good health will enable me to survive them. These injuries will heal and I'll get back to normal life. Normal for me, that is. :)