When we go through life we might hope that we will cruise through life without any injuries or scars but that’s rarely the case. All of us have to be prepared to receive and deal with life’s injuries the best way possible. I have compiled a list of four ways that you can best come through the inevitable falls in life.
What inspired this post was a recent event. My second day running in central park ended on a memorable note. I fell, and I fell hard. I was running south towards Columbus Circle and almost finished my run when I decided to cross the street. All I had to do is hop over the curb and it would be a straight run out of the park. A tiny piece of cobble stone peeked over its fellow cobbles. Maybe a millimeter higher but just enough to catch the edge of my running shoe and send me falling forward.
I hit hard. Having not totally lost my balance this much in at least a decade I was totally unprepared for it. I could feel and hear my knee joints grind together. My hands out in front of me crumpled and twisted in odd directions.
I had the presence of mind afterwards to not move around too quickly and do an inventory of what might or might not be broken. I scared a couple of kids who witnessed it and they graciously helped me back up. I was fine but it could have been worse.
So first lesson. Avoid the obvious perils. In this case I should have waited for a handicap ramp or a bike lane or something rather than hopping over the curb like some kid. In life I can do many stupidly perilous things or I can play it safe in most things possible. It won’t make me totally safe but I can minimize the damage that I might otherwise take for no good reason.
Second lesson. learn how to fall. I pretty much just let this fall do what it wanted. I didn’t try stabilize myself or guard my body. You can trip and fall in ways that the damage is minimized to almost nothing. But, if you do nothing you are almost asking to get hurt badly.
Third lesson. Take stock of the damage. This, I did do. A disaster in your life is never as bad as you think it is. Try and see things for what they really are. Calm down, think, prioritize, and move forward.
Last lesson. Thank those that try to help you. In this case it was a pair of teenage kids that I doubt put together weighed as much as I did but they put their hearts into helping up an old man. Be mindful to note those that helped you when you were down. They could have walked on after all.
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