Birmingham May 2022 “Tripping Hazard”
01/05/22 04:47
My flat is cluttered, more so as I try to empty it before I go back home. With my work background there is no excuse for this, safety was paramount and tripping hazards a definite no-no. Only time moves on and memories grow dim. In my rush to get “things done” objects in the flat tend to get left where they were last used until I have to hide them from sight before the next sale viewing takes place.
I had finished vacuuming the kitchen floor where a large number of bread crumbs had threatened to turn the floor into something more resembling a beach. The vacuum soon swept them away and I dropped it by the kitchen entrance so it would be nearby and ready to use later in the Living Room. It was not blocking the entrance of course, for that would have been stupid but it was certainly blocking the path I would subsequently take to get from the sofa to the kitchen. After an hour's rest I got up from that sofa and turned to walk the distance of one metre to go to the kitchen. Beneath my feet was the vacuum cable, quietly minding its own business until there was an opportunity for it to become a tripping hazard. That moment was now. My foot snagged in the cable and I lost my balance. The natural thing to do is to put your hand out and grab something to hold onto. To the left of me was the open entrance to the kitchen with its stone floor; things might not go well for my forehead, hands and/or knees if I went that way. On my right side was the entrance wall; if I could put my hand against that then I might be able to regain my balance. So as my body toppled forward my right hand flew out towards the wall. If all went well then my palm would hit it and steady me but, of course, it didn't go well. My hand was still opening as the back of the hand and not the palm hit the wall, more specifically it was the joint of the small finger just above the knuckle that made first contact. My other fingers then spread out to push me back off the wall but by then it was too late. 110kg of weight had just propelled my finger into the wall and damage control reports were coming through to my brain. In sympathy my other hand flew over to assist and give comfort to its partner. I clutched my right hand and feared the worst might have happened, it must be broken or fractured.
At times like this thoughts immediately go to,
As I was writing I remembered this was the finger that for many years I could not properly close because it had been dislocated in a football injury. When someone in Singapore prayed for it to be healed instantly it was and I could close it again. At that time I thought that a miracle and it profoundly affected my life and the way I thought about things from that point on. Now, six years later, that finger gets the opportunity to “do it again”, thank you Lord!
I had finished vacuuming the kitchen floor where a large number of bread crumbs had threatened to turn the floor into something more resembling a beach. The vacuum soon swept them away and I dropped it by the kitchen entrance so it would be nearby and ready to use later in the Living Room. It was not blocking the entrance of course, for that would have been stupid but it was certainly blocking the path I would subsequently take to get from the sofa to the kitchen. After an hour's rest I got up from that sofa and turned to walk the distance of one metre to go to the kitchen. Beneath my feet was the vacuum cable, quietly minding its own business until there was an opportunity for it to become a tripping hazard. That moment was now. My foot snagged in the cable and I lost my balance. The natural thing to do is to put your hand out and grab something to hold onto. To the left of me was the open entrance to the kitchen with its stone floor; things might not go well for my forehead, hands and/or knees if I went that way. On my right side was the entrance wall; if I could put my hand against that then I might be able to regain my balance. So as my body toppled forward my right hand flew out towards the wall. If all went well then my palm would hit it and steady me but, of course, it didn't go well. My hand was still opening as the back of the hand and not the palm hit the wall, more specifically it was the joint of the small finger just above the knuckle that made first contact. My other fingers then spread out to push me back off the wall but by then it was too late. 110kg of weight had just propelled my finger into the wall and damage control reports were coming through to my brain. In sympathy my other hand flew over to assist and give comfort to its partner. I clutched my right hand and feared the worst might have happened, it must be broken or fractured.
At times like this thoughts immediately go to,
- i. How am I going to get to the hospital?
- ii. How long am I going to be queuing there to get a x-ray?
- iii. What will they do to 'fix it'?
As I was writing I remembered this was the finger that for many years I could not properly close because it had been dislocated in a football injury. When someone in Singapore prayed for it to be healed instantly it was and I could close it again. At that time I thought that a miracle and it profoundly affected my life and the way I thought about things from that point on. Now, six years later, that finger gets the opportunity to “do it again”, thank you Lord!