My Guardian Angel Deserves a Medal

The dictionary defines "fragile" as "easily broken or damaged, frail, or weak."

I have always said that my guardian angel works overtime when it comes to protecting me. Occasionally, especially when it is cold, I can feel a little fragile. It can also happen on those days where I am feeling weaker than normal. When these days do come along, I have to be extra mindful of my actions. If I do not remain focused, I can lose my balance in a flash and go down. Fortunately, for my guardian angel and my wife, I do not have too many days like this.

Normally these type days occur in the winter after I have been out in the cold for some time. My extremities just do not want to work the way they are supposed to and I cannot trust my legs to keep me upright. As mentioned, it does not have to be wintertime; however, for me to feel a "fragile." It just takes the overworking of my muscles (i.e.,
by standing or walking too long) or not being focused on what I am doing to create an accident.

Years ago, I remember one of those days. My wife had a stained glass fireplace screen (several dragonflies) that she loved. Walking out of my office, I stubbed my toe on the corner of the raised fireplace stoop. As I was going down, I twisted and tried to catch myself. The only thing I succeeded in doing was grabbing the fireplace screen. I landed on top of it smashing it into hundreds of pieces. Except for a few minor cuts I was unhurt, but I would have gladly sacrificed myself (taken one for the team) if the fireplace screen had not been destroyed. My wife took the loss better than I did because I knew it was a one-of-a-kind piece that could not be replaced.

A couple of summers ago, I had another one of those days … a "Whew, that was close" moment. I was just standing up from my recliner and turned to look at something before I had gained my balance. As I fell backwards, I tried reaching out to grab the fireplace mantel in front of me. My upper torso was too far forward as I went down and I whacked my head on the side table. When these moments happen, it always seems like everything slows down and every action and reaction is exaggerated as I try to recover. Fortunately, I did not do any serious damage (my brother would comment, "There couldn't be any damage because he only hit his head"). My wife heard me falling and came a running. She saw that a water glass had spilled and the glasses that I was wearing were now on the floor, but I was just sitting on the edge of the chair, shaking my head, as if nothing had happened. Once again, the results could have been much worse if it were not for my guardian angel.

On "fragile" days, I do not have anything more to worry about than a normal day … other than sudden changes in direction, uneven walking surfaces, steps, curbs, slippery surfaces, loss of focus when walking, etc. I think you get the idea. No wonder my guardian angel is prematurely gray.


 
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