Chagrin and Bear It

I whine about minor physical ailments, but basically I’m an able-bodied person. It’s been decades since I’ve had to go to the emergency room. Maybe that’s why it’s hard for me to sympathize with folks who haven’t been so lucky.
To wit: on a typical trip to Target, there will be a woman in front of me who’s moving annoyingly slowly. I mean I could get from car seat covers all the way to the jewelry department in the time it takes her to go 10 feet down the aisle. Why, oh why won’t she get out of my way?!
My answer? Let me just say that God can get your attention in some wonderfully unexpected ways.
Just last weekend The Big Guy handed me a big ol’ heaping helping of humble pie in the form of a sprained ankle.

I had reserved last Saturday to paint the ceiling of my back porch – no small task with its sloping roofline and exposed joists. I’d bought all the supplies and moved all the furniture and just needed to go fetch the ladder. My right ankle went in one direction while my foot went in another. Needless to say, all of me went downward shortly thereafter!

I didn’t break anything that afternoon, but this week I’ve gained a modicum of sympathy for folks who need a little more time in getting around. For all I know, they’re in some kind of pain. And be it physical, mental or emotional pain, they deserve the same patience and respect I hope would be afforded me as I hobble around on my twisted ankle.
To my neighbor who loaned me a pair of crutches: thank you. To the gentleman who held the door open for me at the post office: thank you. To the slow-moving woman at Target: I’m sorry for whizzing by you without regard to your situation.
And to the kid who practically knocked me over trying to rush into the bank yesterday – where’s the fire, sonny?!

Playlist:
1. Knock on Wood — Eddie Floyd
2. You Never Know — Goldfrapp
3. Catch Me Now I’m Falling — The Kinks
4. Ouch! — The Rutles
5. Help Me — Joni Mitchell
6. Instant Karma — John Lennon
7. Walking in Your Footsteps — The Police
8. This One’s Gonna Hurt You — Marty Stuart & Travis Tritt
9. Walk Through This World With Me — George Jones
10. Get On The Good Foot — James Brown