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Family and Friends is my everyday journal. Captain's Log is where I pontificate on religion and politics.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

WC 111820

 


Today's topic is: Funniest thing that happened to me. Hard to narrow it down to just one event.

High School: Sophomore year running Cross-Country. We were running eight miles across a mesa. Part of the mesa was cleared off for a new housing project. I was doing fine until I fell flat on my face. Getting up I'd hit a taught string stretched out between wooden stakes. This was where they would dig the foundation on the house. My left leg went over and the right hit the string making a little red line where it cut my calf. I got up and finished the course. My older brother, a senior, was ahead of me and when I got to the locker room saw he had a red line on his calf the same as mine. No one else on the team tripped over it.

Plainview, Tx College: Freshman year running cross-country. It was the second week and we were running on a farm road. I was the best runner on the team and about half way on the eight mile run it was going too slow. I asked the sophomore runner where to turn on the road to head back to the college. He told me to keep going to the next road and turn left.

I picked up the pace and turned at what I thought was the next road. It was an entrance to a feed lot. I wound up running in the smelliest environment on the planet until I made my way out. The rest of the team laughed their heads off at me for months.

Between marriages: There was a singles retreat in Glorieta, NM. Our church group arrived and the women were upstairs and men downstairs. First night getting into bed I was in a sleeping bag and a couple of guys came in without turning the light out. I got up and hopped to the light switch and hopped back to bed. I lept up on the bed, but in the dark I missed. The guys ribbed me a bit at breakfast. That's when I met my wife of now 42 years.

2016: Dec. 26. I needed to exchange something at a business but wasn't sure they were open. Walking up I was looking at the day and hour to make sure they were open. My left foot caught on something and I went to catch my balance by stepping forward with my right. It hit something and it was timber. I landed on my right side putting my hand out to break my fall trying not to hit my head on the concrete sidewalk. I broke my right meta tarsal phalange, just had a few cuts on my forehead. I tripped on a black rubber car barrier. Never saw it.

I realized that I wasn't a super hero. I didn't crack the concrete and definitely didn't bounce back up.  

8 comments:

Lydia said...

Oh, ouch! How is your metal tarsal phalange doing now?

It's interesting how easy it is to misperceive your environment under the right circumstances.

Marianne Arkins said...

It sounds as if you spend a lot of time tripping :-) Maybe you should wear knee pads?

I'm a bit of klutz myself so completely understand. Most recently, I fell spectacularly over the concrete bump in the front of a parking spot.

Glad you're still all in one piece!

I'm here today: http://www.mariannearkins.com/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-funniest-things/

Wendi Zwaduk and Megan Slayer said...

I hate when the cross country directions for those runs aren't exactly clear and you end up off the beaten path. Good stories and glad you're still around. :-)

P M Prescott said...

Thanks for your concern, Lydia. It's doing okay. Let's me know when the weather is changing.

P M Prescott said...

For many years it didn't matter Marianne, the last one saw age catch up to me.

P M Prescott said...

Thanks for you concern, Megan.

Tena Stetler said...

LOL Interesting stories. Thanks for sharing. Here's mine. https://www.tenastetler.com/funniest-things-that-have-happened-to-me-lsrs-weekly-blogging-challenge/

Michael Mock said...

Oh my... Okay, so back in college my roommate and I were talking about egotism as we were getting ready for bed. (I had the top bunk; he had the bottom.) He'd gotten up to turn the light off and was just finishing up the conversation by saying, "...Of course, that's only because I'm the destined savior of humanity." He paused. "Sometimes I almost believe it."

Then he flipped the lights off, crossed the room, threw himself down on the bed... and missed by a good six inches.

I had forgotten all about that until your couples' retreat story.

My answer is here.