This morning I was taking a "stroll" and saw something that made me pause and think. It was a shopping bag filled with underwear, t-shirts and lounge pants. It wasn't really the contents of the bag that caught my attention, it was what was on the outside of the bag. On the outside of the bag was one of those goofy-looking stick figures with the big grin, saying, "Life is good."
Some of you may have heard about my "sideline collision" by now. For those who haven't, here's the "Reader's Digest" version of the events. Since the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowboys had a night off on Friday, Nov. 8, I offered to make the trip to Monticello to cover the Aucilla Christian Academy (ACA) Warriors' football playoff game. I had not been to a Warriors game before and since we do cover their games, I felt it would be good to get an in-depth report of the game, along with some game photos. Like many "sideline reporters," I like to be as close to the action as I can get. Just over halfway through the first quarter of the game, I found myself a little too close to the action. A receiver caught a pass near the sideline where I was snapping pictures and before I could get out of his way, he was hit on a direct trajectory with my left leg. The next thing I knew, I was tumbling on the ground and felt a sharp pain in my left ankle. I looked down at my left ankle, which was not quite aligned directly with the rest of my left leg. At the same time I heard someone tell me, "Don't try to move." I heard another voice say, "Oh, it's broken all right." I also heard myself mutter a few words that probably aren't quite appropriate for printing in the newspaper. I do offer my apologies to anyone who may have heard me. The skilled medical personnel on the sideline quickly applied a splint and loaded me onto a stretcher and wheeled me toward the awaiting ambulance. I could not resist the temptation to give the "thumbs up" signal that so many football players give in similar circumstances. The crowd at Warrior Memorial Stadium cheered and that actually brought a smile to my face. For some reason, I requested transportation to Archbold Hospital in Thomasville. In hindsight, Tallahassee may have been a more convenient location for my family, but who thinks of convenience (or anything logical) in times such as that?
I cannot complain about the care I received at the hospital over the weekend. The nurses and staff were very attentive. At times, almost too attentive, but it's their job and they did their jobs well. I was scheduled for surgery to install hardware that would aide in the healing of three broken bones in my left leg and ankle. I was told I did well in the surgery. I'll take their word, I don't remember anything after taking that first breath through the oxygen mask. I had always heard stories of people saying funny and strange things when coming out of anesthesia. I have been told that I can be counted among those who say and do funny things while their brain is still clouded. I do remember telling the nurse in the recovery room, "You're nice, I like you." I said the exact same thing to the Anesthesiologist. I said the exact same thing to another person who was simply walking by. I think I even told them that my boss was nice and that I like her, too. I told them I wanted to play a joke on my sister, who was waiting for me in my room upstairs. I told them I was going to look at her and say, "Who are you?" The nearby hospital staff agreed that it would be funny and they promised to play along. I think they are trained to usually "play along" with the patients in that state of mind.
I don't tell that story in order to garner any form of sympathy. I am probably the last person in need of sympathy. Over the last few days, I have been met with countless words and acts of encouragement. Colby Roberts, the Head Football Coach at ACA came to visit me and gave me a team t-shirt with "Warrior Strong" emblazoned on it, along with a Bible verse reference. That visit truly touched me. There were others, such as Emerald keeping in touch with me and sharing word of my progress. My sister and brother-in-law made the trip from Perry, Fla. to Thomasville in the middle of the evening on Friday in order to get my car back to Perry. Co-workers who say "If there's anything you need ...," and you know they mean it.
I firmly believe that within any situation and circumstance, there are countless reasons to be thankful. I'm not sure exactly how long it may take for me to be back at 100 percent. I'll be in a cast for about four to six weeks, they tell me. I'm learning to maneuver with a walker and I can already tell that by the end of this ordeal, I am going to have a killer set of arm muscles. I will continue to do as much as I can, remotely, until I am able to transport myself back to Madison. It may be a while before I'm able to "work the sidelines" again. You can be sure that when I do, it will be with a much greater respect for any "action" that may be headed toward the sideline. Often, in life, difficulties help build strength. Difficulties also give us the opportunity to see all the goodness and kindness that surrounds us all the time. Difficulties remind us that, through it all, "Life is Good."