Selective Re-christening!!!

What is it with me and accidents? When I was a kid, I kept falling all over the place. Bruised knees, stubbed toes, bleeding fingers; all were a customary part of my growing up years. Many parts of my face and body have been stitched up at various times in my life! If at one time, it was my forehead that split open like a fish's mouth after having been successfully banged on a water pump, it was soon my chin that took to a needle and thread, like a piranha takes to water!!! However, I guess, getting hurt all the time is true of most children. Also, no one made a big deal of it. I would fall, quickly scamper on to my feet, dust the limb I'd scratched or bruised and get on with my playing! Reminds me of that episode in F.R.I.E.N.D.S where Joey wonders why Rachel has to baby proof the entire apartment! He says "Baby-proofing? Why is it such a big deal now? You know, when I was a kid, it was, "Whoops, Joey fell down the stairs! Whoops, Joey electrocuted himself again!" :-D

However, in my case, I didn't outgrow any of these "getting hurt episodes"! Bruised knees, stubbed toes and bleeding fingers are still very much a part of my daily existence! In fact, I have become even more prone to getting hurt! So much so that now the accident prone tag has become synonymous with my name, nay, has woe of woes, become my middle name!!! Thus it is that I fell on my honeymoon, and consequently, broke my left hand. That one was a veritable nightmare, I must say! One moment I was all happy and dandy, ready to get out of the hotel and explore beautiful Goa, and the next moment, I found myself on the floor, cradling a broken hand and yelping and screaming with excruciating pain! All because I foolishly decided to race A on the hotel corridor!!! <Sigh!> The next thing I knew I was on a hospital stretcher, listening to my death warrant being read out! The doctor declared in no uncertain terms that I had to have a surgery within a few hours if I ever wanted to enjoy the privilege of using my left hand again! Horror of horrors!!! A surgery?!? My worst nightmare was coming true! I have, as a rule, been terrified of surgeries! Even listening to people's stories about the surgeries they've undergone sends cold shivers down my spine!!! Anyway, as is evident, I survived the surgery. However, to top it all, the lugging around of a heavy cast on my hand for an interminably large number of weeks, made me vehemently vow never to be in another accident! I wonder why I thought it was in my hands to be or not be in another accident!!! I mean, it would have made sense if I'd vowed to be more careful in future, or something similar!!!

Smile Before the Fall!!!

As luck would have it, it was not long before I successfully plopped right into the midst of another accident! Three of us (my dad, my nephew, me) were travelling in an autorickshaw, which promptly collided with another vehicle and nicely toppled over! I'm sure it knew I was inside it and didn't want to let me not earn my middle name!!! I had been sitting in the centre, safely cocooned from either side, by my dad and nephew, but wonder of wonders, only I got hurt! <grin> At first glance, when, after in true-blue movie style, we managed to clamber out of the vehicle; I thought none of us had been injured. To prove me wrong right at that very moment, a searing pain shot through my thigh at the same time that I felt something damp burn against the skin of my right knee! I looked down in alarm, only to find a gaping hole in my pants where a nice piece of cloth should have been covering my poor knee! Not to mention, they were my favourite pair of pants too! Anyway, I was bleeding profusely and was taken to a hospital yet again!!! I walked around with a limp for the next one month, coupled with the painful change of dressing that I had to undergo every second day!

However, with undisguised trepidation, I must say that I've not really landed into any more major mishaps after the knee incident! Well, there have been repeated bangs and knocking over(s), but they are so much a part of me now that they no longer bother me; nope, not even a wee little bit! :-D In fact, if I don't see a nice, big, black and blue (sometimes, purple) bruise on some or the other limb, I feel something is amiss!!! What then, prompted this post today?!? Well, er, ummm, I sort of almost fell down the stairs today! I regained my balance almost immediately, but the lurching of my heart brought all these memories flooding back!!!

So, here's to a day void of any bangs, slips, thuds, thumps or doinks!!! On second thought, make that many, many, many, many, and some more, days!!!!

A selective re-christening have I had,

Other than that, it's all totally rad!

A silent prayer up to God, I send,

Please keep me from tripping, at the next bend!!!

Amen!!!