I fell off my bike (and didn’t get back on... yet)

            When I was young, falling off your bike was a rite of passage.  You wiped out, got your wounds cleaned, then got back on your bike again.

            It seems I’ve reached the age of entitlement.  Now when I fall off my bike I require an ambulance and four hours of emergency care, not to mention a week-long hiatus from bike-riding. 

            Mind you, I can’t recall ever falling off my bike this hard before.  It wasn’t like I was doing some stunt or racing a car down a street or chasing down a burglar – I was merely heading to work, when I decided to make a right turn (too suddenly, apparently) on a rather slippery street. 

I must have hit the pavement hard and fast because I don’t remember any of it.  Usually one can stick out a hand to break the fall, but in this case, it was my head/face that broke the fall, or so I was told.  I remember vaguely one of the city workers who found me talking about a “face plant.”  I wish I could remember who these people are but the whole incident was a blur.

Losing consciousness is an interesting thing.  We do it all the time as we drift off to sleep, but rarely do we get the wind knocked out of us.  It’s interesting that I can’t actually remember myself falling, nor do I remember waiting for the ambulance for 15 minutes – it felt like seconds.

Thank goodness for good-natured city workers – I wish I could remember who they were or what they looked like – I would thank them for pealing me off the pavement and giving me all those wet wipes for my bloody face.

Being in any kind of accident reminds a person how fast things can happen and change for the worse.  Fortunately I didn’t have any long-term damage (ha ha –we’ll see), but an accident has the potential to change one’s life forever. 

It can be costly, too.  I’m fortunate to have work benefits to cover the costs of the 1. ambulance ride (it was great, by the way – would highly recommend); 2. a new lens for my glasses; and 3) dental work on my front tooth that was chipped.  These expenses are minor compared to what some people have to go through, particularly if they have to take time off from work.

My injuries weren’t very severe – a scraped face and minor concussion.  And looking on the positive side, I gained a slightly new perspective on things (can't quite articulate this yet, but I’m sure it’ll come).

So long as the accident isn't too serious, we can learn from it and move on. 

I hope to be biking again soon.