free falling... part 1

after my christmas in SoCal and new years in San Jose, i headed back to tucson for a few days - at least until a mid-january trip to indiana... or so i thought. i got a bit sidetracked by a pretty serious face planting.

it was a bright early january morning, and i was headed to work. loaded up with at least 4 separate bags (garbage, gym, purse, extra work), i took a step or two down the cement stairs that lead up to my 2nd floor apartment. i felt my foot slip off the stair, and realized very quickly that i was going to take a tumble. i tried to grab the hand rails, but the several bags that i had carried my momentum down the stairs faster than i could hold on. i don't remember hitting the cement landing about 6 steps down (thankfully!), but i know that i didn't hit any of the stairs on the way. it wasn't so much falling as free flying with a crash landing. and boy, did i crash.

after falling, i took a moment to assess my damage. i am pretty clumsy, and so it is not terribly unusual for me to fall. but i quickly realized that this was not the usual situation where i could hop up, dust off, and walk it off. i was bleeding pretty badly around my face, and although i didn't think i had a neck or back injury, i knew i needed help. i tried to think about where my phone was, but i knew that when i fell, things flew out of my assorted bags... including my phone. so, i took a cue from my favorite brother and yelled for help. let me correct that, i screamed for help like someone was attacking me. my apartment complex is pretty quiet, and the apartments are not too closely packed together, so i was a little worried about someone actually hearing me.

but i was in luck (i am a lucky girl!), and my next door neighbors came to my rescue. my wonderful next door neighbors, who - even 3 months after they moved in - i had never seen or spoken to before. but they were wonderful. the wife called 911 while her husband stayed with me and even prayed that i would have a spirit of peace and not fear. the wife, a nurse, said that i should not move, which was a bit uncomfortable, since my face was on the landing and my body was lying up the stairs, feet at the top. i'm sure i was quite a sight to see! it was also a bit comical when the wife (a nurse) had to climb over me to head down the stairs and go to work. what a sight!