Yet More Spectacular Tumbles

I just had to tell you about three other tumbles I’ve had.

I’ve probably had loads but I have a shockingly bad memory.

One of them hurt like hell but was a bit of a life lesson, one was highly embarrassing and occurred at a time of life I found it difficult to laugh at myself, the other was so very embarrassing at the time and is the only one where I actually got really hurt.

1. I have no idea how old we were but I would guess at late tweens/early teens. My sister and I were visiting an old auntie and she’d taken us out for the day to Southend-on-Sea. We had a really great day until while we were walking along the beach, we spotted a tide pool. We decided to walk along the wall all around the outside of it. We’d got around two of the three sides when all of a sudden my sister pushed past me. I fell into the pool, but as it was so shallow, all ten of my toes hit the stones at the bottom and crumpled the wrong way back.

Having reminisced about this moment since, she has finally admitted she’d pushed me in on purpose (after avidly denying it for years), she describes it as ‘like a big red button she just had to push’, but she was gutted I was so hurt. I cried all the way back to the bus stop and all auntie could say was; “in a while you laugh about this” which maddened me.

I was in so much pain I couldn’t possibly imagine a day I would laugh about it.

Of course, the whole thing is hilarious now.

Southend tide pool (image found on google)

2. One beautiful summer day I was walking round to my ex-boyfriends house to cut his hair for him (why, I hear you ask. I can’t answer. I was in pieces at the time). I had just crossed the road and just as a double decker bus chocca full of people passed me, I tripped and fell. The bus windows being open, I still remember the reaction from most of the people on it. Haunting. I was so very embarrassed. I turned up at my ex’s house in tears, with the knees in my trousers torn and covered in blood. Nice. That’s not exactly how I wanted him to see me. So, I was embarrassed twice by one fall. Ugh. He was very sweet about it and helped clean up my knees but I went home, patched up my trousers and stopped cutting his hair.

The tumble at the pet store reminded me of this one, simply because of the look of fear in the eyes of the staff member who came over to check on me. Everyone is so terrified of anyone suing, it has made our lives health and safety focussed, and in my view, a little annoying and dull. No one will take a risk for fear of it being expensive. But I have no intention of suing anyone, even though my tumble probably was down to the teeny tiny screws holding that crappy kennel together.

3. In 2004, I went to Alton Towers with some work friends. We were having the best day; we’d only been there about an hour and had just come off a particularly fun roller coaster, when I noticed our boss, lonely in his little carriage coming to the end of the coaster. I rushed over to take a photo of him and tripped on a little step, face-planting the floor.

As I got up my first concern was actually my face.

I’m not particularly vain but I didn’t want to spend the day with a gravel face.

Fortunately my face was absolutely unmarked despite the force it hit the ground with; my shoulder however was a very different story. I’d lost the skin from a 2x2 inch area and had to go get medical attention. I had to spend the day with a massive bandage on it and every time I went on a roller coaster that had the lift down shoulder harness it hurt like hell. I grit my teeth and got on with it, except we didn’t go on the new ride at the time ‘Air’ because it would’ve been too painful (what nice friends, plus the queues were obscene).

Despite my shoulder, we all had a fantastic day, and thankfully they were the kind of friends who were quite happy to laugh at me and take the micky.

A much younger me, sporting my bandage (which looks a lot smaller than I remember).
Everyone kept telling me I should sue since the step I tripped on was completely unmarked with no hazard strips or anything, but it just never felt right. I won’t lie, for years afterwards, when I was feeling particularly poor, I did consider it, but I’m glad I never did. I don’t think it does us any good to blame everyone else. I think the people who are so quick to sue, are also very quick to complain about rising insurance costs, crappy economy, etc etc.

So intend to carry on laughing at my own mistakes, not blame anyone else, and get on with enjoying life.

Please tell me about your tumbles, I’m dying to know if anyone else is as clumsy as me.

Nothing too tragic though please, only the ones that were silly and made you laugh.