Written by Karen D. Swim
In the past several months I have been forced happy to walk everywhere I go. My most frequent errand is to the grocery store so I have spent a great deal of time traveling the same routes. Since there are only so many routes I’ve gotten to know the stretch of roads between me and food very well.
The great thing about walking is that you really get to know your community. You notice the smallest details when you’re not whizzing by in your car while talking on the phone (not that I talk and drive mind you). I have memorized the bumps in the road, the best places to cross without becoming road kill, even the way every neighbor positions their trash can on collection day. So, even when the ground is covered with snow, I know the places to adjust my footing and those to be avoided all together.
However, one day this winter, my route taught me a lesson I will not soon forget.
It was a typical winter day, cold, with a couple of feet of snow on the ground. Faced with eating olive oil and unsweetened banana chips, I piled on layers and headed for the grocery store. I waddled out the door resembling the Michelin man with lipstick. I made it to the store in record time and whistled as I collected my groceries. At the checkout I packed my groceries in my backpack and a second canvas sack which I would carry in my hand.
I knew the most slippery parts of my sidewalk route and gingerly avoided them. I reached the part in my route where I would step up on a small grass embankment, climb up a tiny hill and down again to reach my house. I could actually see my house from this point. I began whistling again and marched on with a spring in my step. I had bought my favorite tea and was looking forward to a piping hot cup when I got home.
I slowed down and walked around the slippery part and with the hill within reach, my feet lifted high in the air and I found myself flat on my back (cushioned only slightly by the backpack bulging with groceries). My hat had flown off my head and in my shock the first thing I did was smooth my hair and worry frantically that I had hat hair in public with no mirror to check.
I rose slowly, and grabbed my hat and the few parcels that had escaped the bag. Certain that nothing was broken I carried on, a bit slower and with a bit of dignity loss. I knew the route. I had traveled it many times. How on earth had I managed to fly in the air like a cartoon character?
I learned that day that even the well-traveled sidewalk holds a few surprises, much like life itself. We can grow comfortable in our trusted routes and routines and then get thrown (literally) for a loop when we stop paying attention. I also learned that eggs really can survive a fall. I still walk that same sidewalk nearly every day, but now I give it the respect and attention it deserves, and I carry a mirror, just in case.
This post is a contribution to Robert Hruzek’s What I Learned From a Sidewalk Group Writing Project. I hope you will consider taking part by sharing your own sidewalk reflections.
Karen Swim says
Luke, thanks for that. The hazards of blogging while under caffeinated result in spelling errors. Sorry Tabetha with an “e.” 🙂
Luke Gedeon says
I think Tabetha is also following this comment stream but it may be a few days before she sees this because she is quite busy at the moment.
In the mean-time. I must point out the correct spelling of Tabetha’s name, with an “e” instead of an “i”. It is kind of like a trademark, if you do not defend it you will lose it. Funny thing is, our last name, Gedeon, also has an “e” where you would expect an “i”, So Tabetha just tells people to put and “e” wherever they think and “i” should be.
I guess we could also call her Tabetha with an “E” like Anne with an “E” of Green Gables. 🙂
Karen Swim says
Luke, ROFL! You are one of the nicest men on the planet, please feel free to share that with Tabitha. 🙂 Honestly, if you had seen it after you saw I was okay, I think you would have laughed yourself silly. Even as I limped away with my face red hot from humiliation, I could not help but laugh at the entire thing.
Robert is contagious and I share your sentiments. He inspires me!
Luke Gedeon says
Karen, That was hilarious, and taught a wonderful lesson too. I don’t think I would have laughed at the actual event but the retelling was riveting (as I am sure you wish your shoes had been).
Thanks for falling for us, and telling us about it. 🙂
Brad, Quit picking on her. Robert’s style is contagious. And as one of the best writers in the blogosphere, who better to imitate? 🙂
Karen Swim says
@Cath, lol! Thank you for being so kind! 🙂 Oh my gosh, I’ve done that drive on auto-pilot thing and it’s scary when you get to where you were going and never noticed the journey. Thanks for bringing that up as the powerful metaphor really makes me want to pay attention and appreciate those moments that go by far too quickly.
@Steph, great to see you! I’ve missed your voice in cyberspace. I am really grateful for this time in my life where I’m not overwhelmed by “stuff” and can truly see the everyday. 🙂
steph says
Karen: Very cool message. I totally admire your ability to see it in the everyday details.
steph´s last blog post..Fickle March
Cath Lawson says
Hi Karen – I didn’t laugh at the image of you lying there, trying to flatten your hair – honestly.
This is a great post though and so true. I think sometimes, we become so familiar with something, it’s easy to become complacent.
It’s kind of like driving to work on auto-pilot – it’s scary, because you know you weren’t giving the journey the attention that you should have been.
Karen Swim says
@Joanna, lol! It was terribly vain but I figured if something was wrong I did not want to be caught with hat hair! 🙂 I am laughing so hard about what you must have thought about Brad’s tweet that I can barely catch my breath, LOL! Oh dear me, I can only imagine the look on your face and your polite restraint. LOL!
Karen Swim says
@Roland, rofl! I did fly without an airplane! ROFL!
Karen Swim says
@Janice, LOL! You would have laughed so hard if you could have seen it. I did get my tea so all was well and I was definitely HUMBLED. 🙂
Karen Swim says
@Karl you really are the Happy Man or as I fondly call you the “Work Happy Guy.” I love your passion for seeing beauty and finding rainbows. You never fail to make me smile!
Karen Swim says
@Robert, lol! I did tweet when I came back and I could hear the laughter floating through Tweetdeck. My own brother was near tears when I recreated the moment. You are so right about the job market and even business.
You’re right about the old michelin dude, but you know in the winter all layered up and waddling along it’s hard to tell what gender people are! 🙂
Karen Swim says
@Brad, lol! I heard Robert’s voice in my head and since it was for WILF, I let him out. 🙂 Well being the Michelin man with lipstick is a step up from the “Queen of Poop.” 🙂
Karen Swim says
@Andrew, body survived, dignity not so much! LOL! I think I was partly cushioned by the multiple layers! I was a bit sore for a couple of days but thankfully nothing broken, twisted or damaged. 🙂
Joanna Young says
I cannot believe the first thing you did was check your hair!!!
Now I’ve read this I understand why Brad was calling you Michelin woman on Twitter earlier. It seemed a bit cheeky to me, but I didn’t like to say anything… 😉
Joanna Young´s last blog post..Group Writing Project: Writing Lessons
Roland Hesz says
Ah yes, those treacherous ‘”well know paths”.
You think you know it all, you are confident, you are ruling the grounds then bumm, the world shows you that it can always surprise you no matter what.
But look at the bright side: you flew! without an airplane! now, that is something 🙂
Roland Hesz´s last blog post..Yazix – the new site is up and running
Janice Cartier says
LOL!!!
Ka-boom! I think it is one of those cosmic things… just to keep up on our toes. And humble. Dog gone it. This could be one big cosmic cartoon strip. Especially on days like this.
But did you get your tea?
Janice Cartier´s last blog post..Magnolia Blooms In Santa Fe
Karl Staib - Work Happy Now says
When we take the time to give proper attention to our journey we begin to notice more details. When we notice more details we see more beauty.
That’s what makes me happy – beauty. It could be just a small purple blooming flower that I would normally have missed. It just feels like God is telling me “see, when you slow down, life comes alive.”
A little off topic, but I got on a roll. Slowing down can also help keep us on our feet. Thanks for a great guest post!
Karl Staib – Work Happy Now´s last blog post..Forcing a Smile Can Make You Happy
Robert Hruzek says
Hey, I think I remember you tellin’ us about that spill! Glad you and the eggs made it!
Good lesson we all need to remember, especially in the job market these days: the same old paths don’t always lead to the same conclusions! And just doing a good job doesn’t always guarantee you’ll keep your job, either – cost cutting can strike anyone, sad to say.
Oh, and maybe I’m just a chauvinist at heart, Karen, but wouldn’t you be more like the Michelin Woman? But hey, it’s good to know even the Michelin Man, y’know, HAS somebody! 😀
Brad Shorr says
Hi Karen, I believe from now on I will forever think of you as a Michelin man with lipstick! Very entertaining post, and one we can all relate to, at least those of us who live in snowy climes. BTW … is your humorous tone and first sentence strikethrough an homage to Robert Hruzek? 🙂
Brad Shorr´s last blog post..Pounding the Pavement Is One Tough Way to Sell
Andrew says
Karen,
I don’t think that you would be the only one who has done that in cold wintery weather before.
I am surprised to hear about the toughness of the eggs, although that said, even delicate items can survive a degree of impact if they are packed with a sufficient level of care so as to be padded by some extent by other items.
It’s lucky that you didn’t have any dramas with other items, such as glass jars (at least I am assuming that you didn’t).
Oh, and by the way – it’s lucky that you yourself did not sustain serious injury – and that’s a lot more important than any damage sustained by your poor old grocery items.
Andrew´s last blog post..Thoughts for a nation in shock