...The Trip or The Fall (aka the Wipeout)

Yesterday I had an accident. Though I feel as if I need some setup.

Monday I did receive my bag from ebags. Just as good as I had expected it to be in the first place. So, of course, Tuesday I put it to use. Packed up the laptop and stuff. Then headed off to work. On the way to the car I check the mailbox and I have a package from UPS. I go collect it and take note that it is the draws and under shirts I ordered from essentialapparel.com (really I am not getting paid for all these ads, though I do accept donations). I pause for a moment contemplating if I should go back up stairs and drop of the package or just take it with me. I decide on the latter. Deciding that because I park in the garage in my building with security and all in downtown LA I can safely leave my package in the car while at work. Not to mention its so dark down there you can barely see in the car in the first place. Though admittedly this was all initially just a vague feeling of "fuck it I should just take it with me." I'm glad I did.

That night I leave work, come home, and as usual have to park in the back of the complex because parking here sucks ass. As I walk to the front I have to pass an area where there are a set of dumpsters. And as usual there are cars lined up in the parking lot taking up ever available space. Even the spaces that aren't for parking. There is an area off to the side of the walled area with the dumpsters that contains those diagonal white lines that indicate this is not a parking space. Invariably someone always parks there. So, I'm walking along. My box of draws in hand and my messenger bag slung across my body. As I approach this area I have a decision to make. Walk on the left side of the car parked next to the diagonal lines or walk to the left of the car parked on the diagonal lines. Something told me not to choose the latter. But I did it any way.

At the last minute I decide that the left side, of the car parked on the diagonal lines, should be my path. Even though on the initial walk up my first instinct was the left side of the other car. So, wouldn't you know it I'm walking along, box in hand, and as I get to the end of the car (marking the area where you are officially not in the parking lot but in the paved back area of the complex where you are walking by the windows of the people on the first floor) my left foot hits the parking barrier. You know those long concrete blocks used to let you know when to stop when you park your car. And wouldn't you know it the slow motion sequences starts as my momentum begins to carry me over. My right foot instinctively goes up to try to right myself. For about half a second I was convinced I wouldn't fall as my right foot would extend out as if doing a forward lunge and I would catch myself. That was the 1st half second. The 2nd half second I realize as my right foot was coming up it hit the top of the barrier and over I went. And not like a trip and stumble kinda fall either. Oh, No. I went down like a tree does when a lumberjack has cut enough to just push it over. BAM!

Fortunately, for me. I was carrying that box of draws. It broke my fall. Who knew. I still ending up with a minor scrape on the left knee and right elbow (minor stub on the right knee) but otherwise I'm okay. I said a quick "fuck" (or a "shit") under my breath, picked myself up, and kept right on walking. I didn't hear anyone laughing so this was pretty much my personal shame. Walked it off got my mail and went home.

The question is did I take the box with me to work because deep down I knew I might fall? Or did I go that way around the car because I had the box with me knowing that I might fall? If I had gone the way I intended I probably wouldn't have fallen. That or I would have busted my head against the wall. Thing is I believe in intuition. The problem is you can't always tell what's intuition and what's you just doing what you want to do. When it works nothing usually happens (or on occasion something good you wanted to happen happens) but when you don't listen you usually ending up going "damn it, I knew I should have done 'such and such.' shit!" Then you are kicking yourself for not listening to yourself in the first place. This is the first time I wasn't sure what was what. Given the circumstance it could have been a happy coincidence (and if you say you don't believe in these you probably don't know the definition). Either that or I could have cracked my skull open if I had gone the other way...