yeah, just over a month ago I crashed hard on my bicycle. It was a fast, group night ride. No car or other riders involved. I was taken by ambulance to the nearest emergency room where I was x-rayed and checked out. Broken pelvis, sacrum, clavicle and pinky. I’m very glad it wasn’t worse.
I’ve been mostly home bound for weeks, letting the bones slowly grow back together. It’s made me slow down. Learn to gaze. Think through movement.
(Russel Brand has a tattoo of the chakras on his arm?!)
I completed a book titled “The Art of Just Sitting” – thought the title was funny, but now sitting has become an almost daily practice. Now I’m reading through a version of the Dao De Jing, and also beginning to learn some Chinese calligraphy.
The first week after the crash I was mostly floating through life on hardcore pain medication, which I wanted to ween myself off of as soon as possible. It was difficult to read, think, or even watch shows/movies.
The second week was the most painful, since I was trying to get off the meds. My pelvis was in the most pain, which made a lot of activity difficult. My arm was in a sling, my finger in a splint, and I could barely walk with a crutch (which had to be on the wrong side door to the broken clavicle).
Week three I was off the pain meds and switched to using a cane. By this time I was reading a lot, meditating, and thinking. Time was running in an unusual way. I was fascinated by slow processes, nature, breathing.
By the fourth week I was starting to get more antsy, frustrated, and was looking forward to getting back to work. Walking with a cane was getting much easier, and little by little I began talking steps without the cane (but not many).
Now it’s the beginning of the fifth week, I’m not using the cane around the house and going for longer walks with the cane. Most of the pain has subsided – instead of the entire pelvis or shoulder aching I can feel small/specific areas of pain.
I don’t have a lot of advice for anyone who might be in a similar situation except hang in there, it’ll get better day by day.
John Trendler: Still Learning 