Broken Back Briley

Today was an interesting day...

I got up early for the purpose of bringing my grandparents fall decorations and things for their assisted living apartment. It takes me a while, with so much time on my hands, to wake up & get motivated for the day. I decided to start by doing laundry because as my mother always says, other things can be done during laundry. Buddy was home during the middle of the day while the Corriveau's went on a few errands. In the excitement of being back home, he dropped his "BITE ME" toy on one of the kitchen stairs. Our staircase is not like most. It is directly in the middle of the house, with a landing 4 steps above the bottom, at the back of a closet wall. From there it goes on either side of the staircase, one side into the kitchen and one side into the front hall. As I came down the 4 stairs down towards the kitchen, I stepped on Buddy's precious today and fell flat on my ass/back and down the rest of the stairs. As I'm laying there, with my back throbbing in pain, the image which comes to mind is my father kicking his legs and screaming during March 2008 when he broke 6 ribs. As this goes through my mind, Buddy wants to know what the commotion is because not only did his toy squeak, but I made quite the landing. I was covered in dirty laundry, my back throbbing wondering if it was safe to get up. As I was wondering if this is safe (I remembered the advice of the paramedics telling us to tell Dad not to move because it could make what happened worse), I realize that my cell phone is still upstairs and there are no reachable phones anywhere. Realizing this, I decide I must get up. But first, I must move the dog. Which needless to say is difficult when you're feeling 110%. I managed to get up and call mom. Take tylenol. Get ice on my back. Then my butt. And the process has been repeated over and over throughout the day. Nearly six hours later when Mom got home from work, the laundry was still sitting in the middle of the kitchen. I basically sat on my ass the rest of the day. However, this was not a lazy, comfortable, enjoyable day of sitting on my ass. This was proper posture, stiff back sitting. Not enjoyable. I therefore spent most of the day searching for jobs (more so than I usually do) and talking to Mom online.

It was at this time when I felt like I was in sixth grade again. For those of you who don't know: when I was in sixth grade, I fell off the monkey bars in gym class. I was definitely a "90's kid" and totally embraced the fashion. I wore this black velvet vest with different colored embroidered (what I like to call) "business" (for lack of a better word) on it. This amazing vest also had a bow/knot on the back. This extra pressure point took the wind out of me. Not right away, but immediately after I pretended I was okay. At which point I landed on my back for the second time in minutes as I passed out. Causing me to get rushed to the hospital on a stretcher. I had a sore back, and it was a Friday. The next week though, I was endearingly called "BBB" or "Broken Back Briley" by my friends. As I sat here in pain today, that is how I felt. It was a feeling I didn't want to feel for a second time in my life.

"Sickness comes on horseback but departs on foot."