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| Big Bear Valley Hospital - Sat. Apr. 16, 2016 |
Today I find myself with some unplanned free time as I rest in bed
with two icepacks on both shoulders and an ample supply of Tylenol on
the nightstand. During the last 14 years of mountain climbing adventures
on the highest peaks around the globe, I have been blessed with the
good fortune of always returning without serious injury or broken bones.
And
now this past Saturday, exactly 4 weeks after I injured my left
shoulder in a skiing accident, I was mountain biking in Big Bear and had
a near run in with a truck, leaving me with a serious injury to my
right shoulder! To be exact it was a complete fracture of my right
clavicle. As a bonus I bruised my ribs, hyper-extended my left thumb, and
lacerated my thigh.
The truck was coming
uphill (on a fire road closed to vehicles nonetheless) while I was
descending and rounding a corner. I reacted with excess vigor in
applying my new hydraulic disc brakes, locked my front wheel in a
classic rookie move, and went over the handlebars and into the dirt
hard.
Denise caught up to me after I collected
myself from the impact, and I asked her to do something a husband
shouldn't have to ask of his wife. Thinking my right shoulder was
dislocated since it wouldn't move properly, I asked her; "Hold my arm
steady while I pull hard and try to get the shoulder back into the
socket." It didn't fix the problem but the ER doctor later told me after
examining the x-rays, that I probably helped field set the bone into a
better position.
Even
though we are bound to encounter unexpected setbacks in life, it's
worth a certain amount of risk to pursue your dreams and those things
you love to do.
I love mountain biking and so
did my friend Doug Fletcher, to whom I am dedicating this blog post.
Doug passed away last month at the age of 83 after living an
enthusiastically full, active, and purposeful life. His wife Mary sent
me this quote which truly personifies Doug's life ...and after my recent
skiing and mountain biking injuries, I think I'll adopt it too!
"Life
is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a
well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used
up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, 'Wow What a Ride!'"
