I fall down. It's what I
do. I've fallen maybe five or so times in the past five or so years.
Sometimes I fall walking and once I fell standing completely still
on the side of a ski slope. Well that was twenty five years ago, and
that's another story. But recently my seven year old granddaughter
expressed concern about going bowling with me, cause, as she said,
“you fall down sometimes, gramma”.
I laughed out loud,
thinking “where in the world would she get that idea?”, when
slowly the memory of falling seeped in... falling at the bowling
alley last time we were there. We, (Gramps, my granddaughter and her
brother), had spent a rainy afternoon at the bowling alley a few
months before, cheering each other, booing each other, and me, of
course, trying to show off (big mistake). I took one step too many
and crossed the line onto the oiled lane. My feet flew up higher
than my head and I landed flat on my back, sliding down the lane
behind the bowling ball.
The aftermath was probably
more shocking to the kids than my actually falling. People were
running at me from all directions to help me up, shouting Ma'am! Are
you alright ma'am? (love that handle). I was not able to stand up
on the slippery surface, so all I could do was slide backwards with
my hands, till I reached the dreaded spot of the accident, and with
assistance, get back on my feet, totally humiliated, mumbling thank
you's to the concerned crowd that had formed. The voices around me
grew muffled as I experienced one of those powerless
out-of-control-of-my-body feelings. My sweet granddaughter took my
hand, walked me back to the benches, and said, “I'll take your
place for the rest of the game gramma, you just sit here and rest.”
The bowling alley fall was
probably my most recent with my granddaughter watching, although she
also remembers another fall I took on our way to a ferry ride around
the Statue of Liberty last spring. Cold spring day, some ice left on
the wide streets surrounding Battery Park by the ferries, all of us
walking quickly, shivering, wanting to warm up... when boom, just
like that I was on the ground. Tripped? Slipped? Off balance? Who
knows? I was down down down. And once again the Gen Xs and Ys nearby
swiftly came to my rescue, and again the shouts of Ma'am! Are you
OK? Once again the many arms reaching for me, helping me to my feet.
I must say the rousing rescues from the younger generation
reinforced my faith in human kindness.
I was not hurt in either
of these falls, and the incidents only lasted minutes, maybe seconds.
But I'm sure they were frightening to my young grandkids, and left
them scarred with the “gramma might fall down” worry every time
we undertake anything physical, including walking. They got me
thinking... There was the time I fell over a fire hydrant on North
Avenue. I was walking while talking, and the street was crowded with
people out for lunch, and the town had relocated the fire hydrant to
the middle of the sidewalk while doing street widening, but
still.....
And there was the time I
tripped on the curb going from my car to the bank and watched my body
spin up, then crash down in slow motion, landing on my forearms, and
chipping a bone in my elbow. I really could not move or help myself
up since my arm was hurting so much. Oh yes, my knees also hurt,
which further complicated a quick recovery, so when onlookers once
again came to my rescue, and I said between sobs and tears, “just
give me a few minutes to sit here and I'll be OK,” someone said
“sure”, then called an ambulance. Yes, the EMTs came to my
rescue, lifted me onto a stretcher and drove me, sirens blaring, to
the hospital. A few months of discomfort and physical therapy, and I
was as good as new.
I certainly don't want to
traumatize my grandchildren further but I also want them to see that
for a grandmother I'm still young-ish and healthy and strong enough
for normal everyday life. I want my grandkids to lose the “Gramma's
falling down” fear. But the reality is, I will fall again. So
there it is!
I have read there are ways
to fall, like don't let your head hit the ground, and try to land
with your hands flat and practice falling on a padded mat at home.
(I don't really practice). I work on improving my balance and
strength, and I wear flat shoes. I also practice laughing out loud,
so I'm ready next time I go down!
I do not want to miss
jumping into the pool with them rather than slowly walking in, and riding crazy
amusement park rides with them, and zooming down water slides on the
boardwalk with them. And next time I fall, I will remember to laugh out
loud and let them help me up. After all, it is better to fall and
get up, even if you need help, than never to have fallen at all!
I
have this fear of falling in front of large groups of people. That's
why I tend not to wear heels.
--Taylor Swift
