Dancing on the Edge

Ten Years Ago Today

Ten years ago today the sun was shining but it was bitter cold. Snow that had been on the ground for almost two weeks was all but melted away. We had had a big storm come through that left us with 22 inches of snow - which is a whole lot of snow for an area that rarely sees more than an inch a year.

Are you wondering why I know the details of the days weather so well? It's because I laid on the freezing ground for 20 minutes wearing nothing but jeans and a shirt. No sweater, no coat. Why was I lying on the ground? Well you see - ten years ago today I fell 6 feet and broke my back. I also cracked my head open but that paled in comparison to the broken back.

I had been jumping a fence on a return trip from capturing our run-away "inside only" cat who loved nothing better than to escape and jump the fence into the neighbors yard. Not wanting to bother the elderly woman who lived in the house with said yard, I declined when she offered to go through the yard and unlock the fence for me. The carport lead to an easy drop down into the yard and I easily accessed the yard, grabbed the little furry run-away and handed her back over our back fence to Dakota's waiting hands. I then returned to the carport area and climbed upon the fence. Sitting there a thought went through my head - a thought that clearly meant I was feeling a little too full of myself. I was 32 years old and sitting on top of the fence I thought smugly "Wow - jumping this fence was so easy. It's not like I'm 18 anymore...." and there my thought ended and I toppled backwards and slammed flat on my back and head. What did I land on? Broken up pieces of cement from the previous walkway they had recently ripped out. Ouch.

After the initial shock, I realized that I couldn't move. At all. I screamed for Dakota and used all my strength to move my legs off of the side of the house, on which they were sort of propped. Dakota jumped our back fence in about 2 seconds flat and attempted to help me up. But I had smacked my head open and there was blood so she gently put me back on the freezing cement pieces and banged on the neighbors window to have her call for help.

Long story short, the ambulance took me to the hospital where it was discovered that I had indeed broken my back. Now this was also the week we were to have the first insemination for trying to get pregnant. Clearly *that* dream was shoved into a deep dark corner of a closet somewhere.

18 months later I had spinal fusion as my back was refusing to heal properly and I was in constant pain.

4 years later we were finally back on the mommy track and now, 10 years later I have 2 amazingly beautiful children and a back that reminds me constantly that I was once laying on the cold ground for 20 minutes wearing nothing but jeans and a shirt.

I can't believe it's been 10 years. In some ways, it feels like a million lifetimes ago and in others, like it was just last year. It's weird how a single moment in time changes your entire life.