Damn Lucky...Twice

I've had two close calls this week, albeit the end results would have been dramatically different. One could have ended with my death; the other with just a broken leg. But I've thanked my lucky stars twice and hope that I haven't used up all my guardian angels in this past week.

On Tuesday, I drove to my brother's acreage (just outside Saskatoon) for a barbeque and chance to say good-bye to my niece, Isabella. After supper, I thought I was leaving with enough time to get home before dark. I HATE driving in the dark. As I reached Rosthern, it began to rain and the sky had turned to dusk (that evil, crappy time of the day when it's still light enough to kind of see, but dark enough you also need your headlights but they illuminate absolutely nothing). By the time I reached Duck Lake, it was pouring rain and the wipers could barely keep up. As I rounded a curve, I saw a vehicle coming towards me. When the road straightened out, the following thought played out in my head:

"I see a little silhouetto of a man! Skatta moosh! Skatta moosh! Will you see the fan-dango? Thunderbolts and lightnHOLY SHIT! HEADLIGHTS IN MY LANE! BRAKE! SWERVE! SHANDI'S NOT BELTED IN!"

I had mere seconds to react when I saw a car in my lane. I was the one who had to swerve hard to the right and slam on the brakes. When my van came to a stop, I was on an angle on the shoulder, with my front right tire just barely in the ditch. The other vehicle never even braked. I started to hyperventilate and cry (because that's how I react to most things). I also started to question whether I was in the wrong. But I know I couldn't have been in his lane because I didn't swerve very far before coming to a stop on my side of the road. I most certainly didn't swerve across three highway lanes.

I sat and cried for a couple of minutes and then started the rest of my trek home. I don't think the speedometer broke the 80 km/hr for the rest of the way home. And apparently I don't know the proper words to "Bohemian Rhapsody".

*******

Fast forward to today. It was likely my last day at the lake for the summer. I took Shandi down to the lake and was watching her harass a squirrel. We have a large chunk of old dock that sits just by the water's edge. We refer to it as "The Viewing Platform". It's a nice, level place to set lawn chairs or stretch out on a towel and watch the kids swim and ski. Shandi was a ways into the forest, so I started to walk towards the back edge of the platform to get a better look at her vain attempt to catch a squirrel. As I neared the edge, I stepped on a rotten board. My right leg fell through and I fell forward off the edge of the ramp and onto the ground. Luckily, the majority of my body fell on the soft, moss covered ground, but my wrist slammed into the top a tree stump.

I let out a half cry/half laugh. In those first few moments, I had to quickly assess whether I had broken my shin bone. The position I landed in made it difficult to see whether my leg was cut open and bleeding (I was laying on my back/right side with my right knee up in the air and the calf portion still stuck through the board). I knew my dad was somewhere around so I called out to him. I couldn't get my leg unstuck, so he ended up ripping off two extra boards to finally free my leg.

By this time, my wrist was throbbing, but at least I could see that my leg wasn't bleeding, (although it had begun to swell and bruise and it was badly scuffed on both sides). As I hobbled back to the cabin, I kept thinking two things: How long would I have laid there if my dad had been in the cabin because no one would have heard me calling? and If the platform would have been a half a foot higher off the ground, I surely would have snapped my shin.

As I type, my wrist is swollen and bruised, but I can move my fingers, so I don't think it's broken. My shin is also swollen and bruised, but, given that I can walk/hobble, I'm pretty sure it's not broken either. I'd like to try and stop tempting fate, so tonight, I think I'll just put my feet up on the couch and watch "The Kite Runner". This way, the worst thing that can happen might be that I burn my popcorn or fall two feet off the couch :-)


The edge of the platform. My leg went through the rightmost hole. Dad had to lift the middle board and break the other one to free me. Thanks Dad :-)