Sometimes I can be unaware of my surroundings.
It was a lovely summer day in PTown where I was going to college. I was a freshman and VERY involved in many things (always in a hurry). My friend had lent me an outfit for some exciting event I had planned and had asked me to return it promptly that weekend since the clothes were in her "core rotation". I remember the long drive down pretty trees to get to her apartment complex. I parked my car and looked up at the complex, noticing that in the middle of the complex was a really pretty swimming pool. The complex went in a U-shape around the swimming pool.
I jumped out of my car and started running quickly while staring at the swimming pool to my left, not noticing that there was a sand volleyball court to my right with a ROPE attaching the volleyball net (right of me) to the chain link fence encompassing the pool (to the left of me). The place was full of cute youngsters and I was so captivated by all going on around me that I didn't happen to notice the approaching "death trap". Did you know that if you hit a rope right at eye level that it can actually sweep you off your feet? Yep... that's what happened to me. It was like one minute I was running and the next minute I had been hit in the nose with a golf ball which propelled my body backwards onto the hard cement. I don't have to tell you how much it hurt, how black my under eyes became or how big the goose-egg on the back of my noggin' swelled up to.
I am sure I also don't have to tell you that everyone hanging out the 7 stories of windows and the people around the pool couldn't stop laughing. I was so embarrassed that I popped right back up and started running again while the thoughts ran through my head "oh my gosh my nose is broken?... ...keep running!...do I have a concussion?...keep running!...is my nose bleeding?.... my back REALLY hurts... I hate ropes!" My friend opened the door and as soon as she saw my swelling purple nose she knew she had missed a classic "point your finger and laugh" moment, but not to worry, she proceeded to do so anyway. Such is the story of my life. I figure I have the choice to laugh or cry... so I might as well laugh.
