I accidentally walked into a glass door recently. A few reflections –
(1) I think there were two causes. The first was the usual suspect in accidents – I wasn’t paying attention. I remember glancing to the side and then walking in… or at least attempting to just before I felt the pain. Always a great reminder for life – pay attention.
(2) The second was that the glass door was, well, very clean. I now understand why there’s regulation about markings on glass.
(3) I remembered a (funny) scene in the movie “Storks” – Birds can’t see glass. I felt genuine empathy for birds that get injured flying into glass buildings as I reflected about it.
(4) Our body is such an incredible machine. Blood, then clot, then swelling, then on the way to healing.
(5) Medicine 2.0 is also amazing. I got some ointment, a quick tetanus shot (a precaution when in India), some Tylenol, and I was away. I wondered when we’d be able to say the same for medicine 3.0/preventative medicine.
(6) It was hard not to think about how different health systems are. I saw an emergency doctor within minutes. I’m sure I’d have been waiting a couple of hours near home. And the bill to my insurance provider would have been something obscene while I focused on the relatively small copay number. I love living in the States – but the healthcare system could do with a reboot.
(7) I assume this is what it feels like to be punched in the face. I’ve written about being punched in the face (“Everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the face”) but it’s always been metaphorical.
(8) Luckily, no bones were broken. Things could have been a lot worse. There’s always something to be grateful for.
(9) Whenever accidents happen, I think of “the bigger accident superstition” – every time something bad happens, it is a gift because it is a sign that something much worse has been averted. I’m not a superstitious person. But I do love this one.
