It's really amazing how fast time seems to pass these days. Each year I get older, the days, months and weeks just seem to fly by - literally. A sign of just how old I am is that I tend to gauge time passage by mortgage payments. How can it be due when I JUST paid the damn thing?
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| Back at the scene of the accident |
I'd ridden this trail many times, however always counter-clockwise. Well today I felt like 'mixing it up' and rode clockwise. If you ride, you already know that this COMPLETELY changes a trail no matter how many times you've ridden it the other way. It had rained hard the night before and the trail was wet. There is a rather steep part of the trail which I have no trouble climbing, however this time I was descending and although I didn't think I was moving that fast, the trail cut sharply to the right. Just as I saw this, three very important things happened in less than a blink of the eye: First, the trail disappeared and a large tree filled my view; Secondly, I realized I couldn't stop or move out of the way of this tree; Thirdly, well, you know. Smack!
My life didn't flash before my eyes before impact - it just happened. I didn't black out or lose consciousness, but I was dazed, confused and nowhere near my bike. I just laid there stunned, not yet grasping what just happened. I was by myself and the first thought that crossed my mind was, "God, I hope nobody saw that!" followed immediately by, "Oh God, nobody saw that! What if I can't get up?". Then finally, "What the hell am I going to tell Cristin?". Well, fortunately I was able to get up, do the old, 'anything broken?' check that boys learn to do early in life - nothing appeared to be broken, but I knew I hit that damn tree hard. Fortunately my bike wasn't damaged because my body protected it from the tree, but I was hurt (my ribs) and knew I needed help, only I'm on a bike trail by myself miles from home.
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| Fateful route 8/18/2012 |
So I did what I had to do, which was walk my bike out of the trail to the street (it was TOO painful to ride) at which point I mounted it and began my 10 mile ride home. Seeing as it was Saturday about 6:00pm, I knew that if I broke or fractured my ribs, I'd be in bad shape tonight and my only choice would be the ER so as I was passing a busy intersection I saw an Emergency Med clinic and I decided to go there. Fortunately they were open and had an actual doctor there as well as an X-ray machine. The Doc took pics, and he couldn't make out any breaks or fractures, however he said I did severely bruise my ribs, along with my left kidney but he wanted to get a radiologist's opinion to be safe.
It was then that he said, "there is one thing that I'm concerned about". He pointed to my X-Ray and said, "see this spot on your left lung? I don't like that". My heart just skipped a beat and I realized I had stopped breathing. He said it's most likely a calcium deposit (maybe from a prior respiratory illness), but he wants it checked out. So he wrote me a pain med prescription (which I NEEDED that evening) and sent me on my way (Cristin picked me up and we picked up my bike the next day). What followed were the longest 4 days of my life waiting to hear from the radiologist. Luckily it was just that, a calcium deposit and nothing to be concerned with.
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| My high school Senior Prom - 1978 |
During those four days my life DID pass before my eyes - all 52 years of it. I did have pneumonia when I was a baby and it almost killed me. I fell off a 15 foot high retaining wall in Colorado - on my back - when I was 22; I fell off a 10 foot fence, rolling backward into a ditch when I was 34; when I was 49 I fell off a ladder - on my back - while trimming a tree in my yard.
My point here is (besides my guardian angels clearly working overtime) there are so many awful, devestating injuries I could have sustained (or even death) but other than a herniated disc and a wicked case of whiplash that still nags me 19 years later, apparently God is not through with me and has some other plans.
It took a full 6 months for my bruised ribs to heal and I've since 'gotten back on the horse that throwed me' and have ridden almost 1,000 miles. I have learned some very valuable lessons as a result of this accident. The most important being: First, there are forces at play that I don't understand, and although my faith in the Catholic Church has been shaken, my faith in God has not, and remains strong; Secondly, I'm so blessed to have a (mostly) healthy body and mind and I must take better care of both. Finally, I have a more clear idea of what my purpose on this planet is and it all revolves around those people in my life who I love and care for - my family and friends.
