Tuesday 16 December 2014

SHORTS - Embarrassment

What is the first thing you do when you take a tumble in public?
Feel a fool, of course.

Beloved tripped over a kerb yesterday as he loaded a couple of bags of groceries on to the back seat of the car. I was picking him up outside the supermarket, literally so, out of the gutter, as it happens;  he’d done some shopping while I went for my hour with Helen. I was sitting behind the wheel, hadn’t even switched off the engine fully. One minute he was there,  the next he’d gone, on his bum on the pavement. Quite hard, actually. It took a few minutes to get him upright. He’s a bit sore today, which is why he asked Kelly if she could do the area round his chair without disturbing him as he wouldn’t find it easy to move about.

Well, it’s nice to get sympathy from a pleasant young woman like Kelly when you’re an old man, isn’t it? “Aw. bless,” she said.

Kelly is not just my cleaner, she is also a carer; I am sure she is a good and conscientious one. Beloved’s mishap got us talking after he had left the room. ‘Bin there, dun that’.  Pratfalls are nothing uncommon.

“I was going to this lady on a freezing day”, she said. “The others in the office told me about her step and how slippery it was and that you had to be extra careful going in. But you know how it is, you are running late, calls are backing up, and you just rush about. Well, I did an almost full somersault, feet went from under me, shot in the air and  landed on my head and shoulders, completely winded. Wheezing and choking. Not a breath left in my body.

I crawled to my knees and the first thing I did, before I even checked myself for injuries, I looked round, all sides, left to right, and behind me, to see if anyone had seen me. I felt such a fool.”


52 comments:

  1. Hi Friko - well I'm glad Beloved is all right and safely at home. Oh gosh falling ... I still have no idea how I fell on my face last year .. but I got away with it .. not sure I'd have done as well with Kelly's fall .. just a dodgy time of year. We haven't had much frost down here yet - but I guess I'll speak too soon ...

    Glad Kelly is around and helping you out with I'm sure many things .. take care and yes falling - we do hate making fools of ourselves ... my mother keeled over in Johannesburg many decades ago .. and I fell about laughing ... poor Mum!! Most undignified .. but I simply couldn't help it - thankfully all was well ..

    Cheers Hilary

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  2. Oh goodness. I do hope he is ok and has not done any serious damage. I'm glad you have Kelly to help out and to give you a bit of comfort after such embarrassment. Yes, we are mostly embarrassed after a fall. Been there, done that.

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  3. We all fall. I took two bad ones this year and in front of my family. Talk about feeling like an idiot. I blew it off and so did they, but I have the scars months later to still show what happened. As we age we do need to be more careful of falls and rely on the aid of others.

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  4. Oh yes, I think we've all fallen hard once or twice. It's embarrassing to the falling victim, and everyone else is simply worried and helpful.
    I slipped on some water in a school hallway one day, heels over head, skirt flying. Thankfully just a few students to witness my undignified behaviour.
    Hope your Beloved soon mends.

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  5. A number of falls over the last 5 years
    and so far no bad injury - just my pride.
    So happy beloved is fine
    and a gift Kelly is to you
    I may need her soon...

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  6. Het overkomt ons allemaal maar meestal komenm we gelukkig nog goed weg.

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  7. Healing doesn't happen quite as quickly as we get older. I think the embarrassment factor is a little easier to take though. I hope Beloved is on the mend soon.

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  8. You know how kids laugh when others fall? I was never one of those kids.

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  9. smiles...pretty sad the humor we find in the pain of others...
    hoping gramma does not fall this year...it has been 3 years in a row
    she has fallen and broken something....

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  10. I am glad your beloved didn't break any bones. So far I have been able to laugh at myown falls. It is so embarrassing. I really need to be more careful.

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  11. Yup. Been there and wear some scars. And the foolish aspect of it is very, very real.
    I hope Beloved is less stiff and sore today.

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  12. I lost count ... who fell ... when ... where? ... anyway, be careful, but not too careful ... cuz if you are too careful, you will fall for sure ... embarrassing? not at all ... people are "peopling" ... you know: Die kochen auch nur mit Wasser, ja?

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  13. Oh, Friko, I've been away from blogging for quite a while, and then to come back and read this...I'm so glad he didn't break any bones. I took one tumble, landed head first, and broke one of the vertebrae in my back. Then another time, I fell on ice and, even though I landed in snow, I bruised my hip and the bruise didn't go away for two or three years.
    Warmest wishes to both of you.
    Love, K

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  14. I had to laugh at your looking around to see if someone saw you fall! That is so funny, but so true. Glad hubby is okay, Friko.

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  15. Oh, Friko, I am sorry to laugh, but, Kelly's telling of her fall had me in giggles. I know from whence she speaks, as I'm a bit clumsy and have had my share of tumbles. It seems when I do, always, I look around first "to see if anyone had seen me". She sounds like a kind soul and I'm glad to know that your beloved is alright. Takes a bit of time to recover from those falls.

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  16. What a shame to have a man fall for you and not be able to enjoy the attention. Hopefully with the love and attention 'Beloved' is receiving he will recover well enough to enjoy the coming season.

    No falls for me lately, thank goodness, my last one was a few years ago in the back garden so I knew nobody saw me. Just annoyed at myself for wearing the clogs I'd been meaning to throw away because I'd tripped while wearing them the day before.

    Merry Christmas Friko to you and your Beloved from Melbourne

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  17. A long hot shower and some Arnica gel help with the bruising but bruised pride is more difficult to cure .
    I hope he feels better tomorrow .

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  18. right? the last time I fell it was in my garage and no one to see. fortunately I just sprained my wrist and bruised my thigh. these things happen so fast you are on the ground before you know what happened.

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  19. I recently fell in my house....only the cats laughed..thankfully they didn't snitch to anyone
    glad your husband is fine

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  20. When I fall I don't care how it looks. I check myself for injuries, and if I find some, I treat myself--bandages, ice pack, ice cream, whatever I need.

    Love,
    Janie

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  21. Cruel queen ice loves to make fools of us all. But I fooled her. . . .


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    <3

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  22. My husband goes sprawling on a regular basis, having feet and lower legs mostly paralysed but like any good horseman he automatically goes limp and avoids injury unless a part of him should meet with concrete or an obstruction. Amazingly enough he never looks inelegant....
    When I go down it resembles a ton of bricks....

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  23. How true ... but really, falls are our worst enemy. I took a spill a couple of weeks ago, tripping over the dog's leash. B fell "up" the stairs last night. We All have to be careful!!!

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  24. Well, I hope your good buddie recuperates quickly. A fall takes our confidence away. I guess we don't want someone to see us fall a second time. We need the confidence to be able to walk properly and prevent falls.

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  25. One never wants to lose their digniy and nothing feels worse than finding your pride gone as you tumble ungracefully to the ground.

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  26. so glad B is OK apart from some bruising. Oh dear. I remember getting my heel caught in those wide pants a few years ago and landing on the side of my head and stars spinning and looking around to see also. Crazy, I'm sure I was concussed (looking back) but I skulked off to my car and drove 20 miles home. I shake when I think of it now.
    XO
    WWW

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  27. Oh yes, I do hate to take a spill in front of anybody else. Even in front of the dogs. I think you are lucky to have Kelly.

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  28. It's been a long, long time since I last fell on an icy road, but it scared me no end, really sending a jolt of fear through my body. Yes, if I think back to that incident, it was fear more than anything I felt. Then a bit of pain where I'd landed on my wrist and knee, and then some embarrassment.
    I guess dancing and all the other sports I do help not to lose my balance easily.

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  29. Oh dear poor beloved! Happened to me - tripped, flat on my face on the pavement, in front of the young set of early morning joggers in their finery. Noone even stopped to help me! Perhaps they thought I was some drunken old woman in the semi darkness of the early hours. Would never have occurred to the pretty young things that in their midst was an intrepid blogger. :)

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  30. I was walking through a car park recently without looking and tripped on one of those concrete bollards they put to mark the end of the car space. I didn't feel so much stupid as annoyed because I twisted my shoulder. Grrrr! I hope Beloved is not feeling too bruised.

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  31. I'm so sorry that Beloved is in pain!
    I wonder if embarrassment is an instinct? It seems to be from the universal reaction to our own awkwardness.

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  32. Good to know its bruises - but golly, they hurt. Glad your Beloved is going to be OK and it sure hurts to take a tumble as our age climbs up the ladder. I think we have all taken a stumble in life and some are embarrassing. Hope Beloved's bruises heal soon.

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  33. I fell on a slippery rock on our hike two weeks ago, and it was scraped and bruised, but it healed up and I wasn't even sore, much. Everybody saw me fall, though, and helped me up and worried about me. I'm used to it. Glad to know he's going to be all right. :-)

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  34. Dear Friko, I so enjoyed this posting because of the underlying truth--none of use wants to appear a fool. During November and early December I lived with several physical ills--viral conjunctivitis, a severe allergic reaction to a glaucoma drop, and pneumonia. And all the time that was happening I kept almost apologizing to anyone who came to help me and had to look at my face--which, because of the allergy, was a clown's face: purple and red circles from my eyebrows to two inches below my eyes and to the sides as well. Scales on most of my face. Blood shot eyes. Moreover, my vision was affected and became blurry for about three weeks. What I remember most about the past six weeks is thinking that I looked like a Harlequin! We just don't want to seem or look foolish! Peace.

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  35. Hope your Beloved is well recovered. A friend of mine had a similar trip one icy day in Welshpool. Loved reading your blog.

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  36. Such a good example of a naturally empathetic response.

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  37. Hope the fall had minor consequences. At our age, even a tiny slip can be disastrous.

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  38. These are cautionary tales.

    When I next see you, Friko, I will tell you about an adventure I had one windy night on an icy sidewalk involving a large McDonald's garbage bag.

    xo

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  39. Ouch. Falls are no fun. I'm off on holiday tomorrow and will be off line. Look forward to catching up in the new year, and meanwhile a happy Christmas to you Friko, and no more falls for your Beloved!

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  40. I hope your Beloved is better now, and I wish both of you good health and a Merry Christmas!
    Happy New year!

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  41. Ice. We just had days of rain turn into ice up here recently. Makes for dangerous walking. I used to rush-rush, too. Being much slower and on the hobbly side now has lowered my odds of being airborn...but not of still hitting the pavement. ;) I feel for your hubby. Hope he's less sore soon. Glad he didn't cut anything open. I've got knee scars to prove my foolishness. ;)

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  42. Poor Beloved. I'm glad he escaped with just bruises. The fall that gave me a broken wrist happened totally in private, but I felt a fool last Saturday when I skidded on a patch of ice and ended up flat on my back. I was well padded in every respect, so no harm done except to my dignity.

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  43. Oh, my. What everyone has said is just the truth -- one minute you're upright and life is going on as it should, and the next? Flat on the grass, or street or floor. I don't fall often, but when I do, it's a doozy. My last fall came when a foot slipped as I stepped from a dock to the bulkhead. I went straight down into the water, about knee-deep in mud, and opened my eyes to the sight of barnacles on pilings. Clearly, I survived, but it was an experience, and getting out was no easy task.

    The best fall story I know is related to a dear friend, now departed. He and his wife were visiting relatives here in the States. He was drying himself after a shower, slipped, and fell in between the tub and the toilet. He was stuck fast -- naked as a jay bird and no one could get him out. The called the nice emergency boys, who came, tried not to giggle, and consulted. Finally, they asked the lady of the house if she might have some cooking oil. She did. They oiled him up, and slipped him right out. To hear the family tell it, he maintained his dignity to the end.

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  44. Funny how we all hope nobody saw. In a crowd, we'll still hope nobody saw.

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  45. Oh, how true! Once I was walking through an airport that was being renovated, not looking where I was going, and I walked into a metal post holding up some under-construction ceiling bits. I felt so stupid. I hit my head so hard that it needed 6 stitches. I was sure all the people around me thought I was drunk.

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  46. I fall down way more than I should. Rick thinks I should mention that to the doc but I'm just careless. Last time, not so good and in a parking lot. So, I can relate to the embarrassment -- and the aches and pains after. Hope Beloved is much improved by the time you read this. I've been out of commission and blog world for a few weeks and catching up!

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  47. Falls are darn serious for brittle bones. Tread carefully, please.

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  48. Don't know if my comment reached you or went into cyberspace. Why are these systems so nutty? gremlins?

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  49. I fell down several times, and once was really embarrassing when a truck had stopped to let me cross the road. Since I didn't want to let him wait too long (why??) I ran - and fell right in front of the waiting truck. Talk about feeling embarrassed! As a result I had twisted my ankle really badly.

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  50. Given that I managed to tumble down a whole flight of stairs at a restaurant in full view of all the diners, I judge NO ONE for falls!

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  51. Oh, yes -- I 've done that. Once walking into a restaurant -- so embarrassing when when they cluster round, obviously hoping one isn't planning on sueing. So glad your husband is okay.

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