To say I trip and fall a lot is an understatement. Most of my “trips” are no big deal, but I had one a few years ago that was not only frightening, but dangerous as well.
It happened not long after Tim and I were married. I was going to down to the basement to do some laundry. After I closed the basement door behind me, I tried to spin around and take a step at the same time. Not a smart thing to do. I felt my feet stumble off the top step. I tried to recover, but I couldn’t. At that time, we didn’t have a banister on the steps, so there was nothing to stop me from falling of the side of the steps and onto the concrete floor below. There’s a reason trampolines aren’t made out of concrete.
While I didn’t want to break any bones, I was more afraid of my head hitting the concrete floor. In that case, I could’ve gotten a concussion or even be killed. My only option was to sit down so I wouldn’t tumble head first off the side of the steps. And that’s what I did.
With loud thumps, I bounced down the hard, bare wooden steps on my behind. For some reason, whenever I fall down steps, I seem to gain a lot of momentum. It’s as if gravity doesn’t like me and has an evil sense of humor. By placing my hand against the wall to my right, I managed to come to a stop. I was also in shock because it happened so fast and I was in a tremendous amount of pain.
I expected my knight in shining armor to come running to my rescue. You see, Tim was sitting on the couch watching TV a few feet from the basement door, so I knew he had to have the commotion I made. I waited. And I waited some more. I have no idea how long I sat there on that step as I listened to the show he was watching. At one point, I wondered if he wasn’t going to check me. Would he go on to bed and leave me to sit there all night?
Finally, I heard him call out, “You okay?” Somehow, I managed to squeak, “No.” Then I heard him clomp across the floor as he made his way to the basement door. He jerked it open. I looked up at him and he looked down at me. I expected to hear him ask how I was and what had happened. Instead, I heard, “What did you do that for?” Looking back, I have to thank the Lord that I wasn’t able to answer him in that moment,
“Can you get up?” he asked. Again, I managed to squeak, “No.” He huffed and stomped down the stairs to me. As he helped me up, he fussed, “I’m missing my TV show.” That’s when I realized he had been waiting on a commercial to check on me.
“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” Proverbs 24:16 (KJV)
We all fall. Some of us more than others. If you are a believer, the Lord is with you and will help you rise back up again. It may not be easy or painless, but He can do it.
As for my pain, it continued on for the new few weeks. I couldn’t sit anywhere without a pillow. That’s when Tim realized just how bad of a tumble I took. He felt guilty about waiting to check on me. And he should have. He kept after me to go to the doctor. I finally told him, “I’m not going. I think I’ve cracked my tailbone, so there’s nothing they can do.” He responded, “The doctor can give you a cast.” I quickly replied, “He can’t put one there!”
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.