Mailbox

What’s the kindest thing someone has ever done for you?

Diary entry

I see it’s on for tomorrow. I better get the running gear out because I’m unlikely to be early for the City to Surf run in the morning. Okay, that’s done. Now I’ll set the alarm for the early start. Chilly outside tonight but I commit to a slow jog around the block anyway. I need the pacing, stride and rhythm. Slow amble up the hill with the street lights and side path in full view. But wait, I need to swing right and cut the distance. That way it’s a short run and I won’t overdo it. Pretty dark in this area with little or no illumination. Okay, I’ll hop over the curb and make it to the street lamp on the other side. What the blazes?! Argh! Extreme contortion, extreme disorientation and now excruciating pain. I’m in a shallow ditch. I better drag myself out. Oh Hell, the ankle’s gone. I need to make it to the other side where there’s a low wall to rest on. Only one leg in action, so I have to hop my way over as best I can. Damn! Only moments ago I’m buzzing and positive but now I’m confused and concerned with my immobility. Sitting on the wall I gingerly place some leg weight on the ankle and again, stabbing pain and I yell out. Gathering my breath I decide to commit to some kind of recovery plan and begin hopping it back home. Twenty metres, thirty metres – I’m exhausted. This is way harder then I imagined and I’m realising all this is draining my energy reserves. People are out walking their dogs but I block thoughts of needing assistance. This is ridiculous. Finding another wall, I rest briefly and hobble off toward a mailbox halfway down the road. Without thinking, I place some weight on the wrong ankle and collapse to the ground in pain. Now I’m in the fetal position. I need help. Wait, I notice a postal van at the mailbox! I call out to the guy unlocking the box and clearing the letters. He looks over at me a bit startled. I manage to get up somehow and call again as I hobble toward him. This is the moment, my opportunity. He looks apprehensive (after all, there’s a guy coming toward him in the half light calling out). But he appears to appreciate the situation. I am closer now and seizing the moment, tell him that I’m badly hurt and that I need a lift. “Its just around the corner” I say, “in the next street.” He tests me by asking me the name of the street (he’s seen this kind of thing before) and agrees to help. As I clamber in I realise there’s no seat (because it is a postal van) & so I sit on the ground amidst parcels and bags of letters. A moment later I arrive home blessing the Aust Post and their benevolent workers. This would have to be the kindest thing someone has done for me (even if there wasn’t a seat!). An hour later I check into the hospital and receive an X-ray for a compound fracture.

A day in the life ..

Was today typical?

Diary entry July 28

Early start at 4:30 am. Text group leader that I’m in for today’s jump. Feeling groggy but the coffee helps. Check the pack from last night. Yes, everything here except the unnecessary. Take emergency kit with protein drink and electrolytes separately. Yes, I’ve double checked. All here. Doing a fry up. Nothing like a cooked breakfast. Best preparation but have a sinking feeling most of this ends up in the paper bag at 10 thousand feet. Checking text memo from group leader. Great, all’s clear. Jump’s on. Weather good for plane. Just a south easterly picking up mid arvo. Extra details on check list – mm, seems all here. Oh, what’s this written at the bottom?

’At the time of arrival core needs must be met. This includes anything outside requisite procedure.’

No stress. No chances taken. Nothing left to chance. Just jump. Yes, this is it! Right, shower and change. Don’t forget the lucky necklace. Keys, right. Now, make sure everything’s switched off inside. Place pack next to medical kit on back seat. Must get to airfield before dawn.

Just another typical day (I wish).

Paying attention

What details of your life could you pay more attention to?

My whole life needs attention. Sometimes I wonder if I actually appreciate what it means to pay attention let alone the details of my life that need attending. I can stand to attention but seem to fail to pay attention. Well, sometimes. Sometimes I have no choice but attend my daily needs and then wonder if I can attend to ambiguous fantasies and futile ambitions. Stuff like that. Hey, I couldn’t even recognise valuable distraction, forbidden temptations, impossible dreams. Maybe I should pay attention to dreams. Strange, I can’t remember them. What good is that? Maybe I’m actually living backwoods. Like starting from the end and going through to the beginning. Am I mad? 😀

Be yourself

How would you describe yourself to someone who can’t see you?

In my youth I saw myself as kind of average – well yes, my physicality and stature but I would like to see myself as someone healthy in regard to my fitness and slimness. But that isn’t anything necessarily vain because a positive focus on oneself is considered normal.

But wait, a stranger cannot immediately ‘see’ you in the sense that they cannot fully appreciate you at first glance unless, of course, they have special powers. So I might be described as having authentic attributes averaging out my personality profile by way of weighing up the good and bad. The intention here is to appear as normal as possible and not to exhibit too many eccentricities. Of course, as one ages, abnormalities and physical anomalies become accentuated. This may be a reason older individuals seem to convey regular, moderated communication so as to 1/ convey a general neutrality 2/ offset misunderstanding or 3/ underplay perceived threats due to increasingly strange and individualised appearance. Or maybe they just get older and wiser. After all, why provoke somebody brandishing a weapon simply because you look increasingly strange? (Wha?!)

In an effort to appear too normal you could inadvertently describe yourself as a mannequin in a shop window or as dull as a plank of wood all the while thinking this as actually interesting.

Perhaps best be yourself or you may not appear so.