Sometimes, being hurled through the air by one's horse can be a blessing in disguise. On Wednesday morning, February 11, 2015, I was cantering Sunny (the horse I lease) around a deserted arena at the stables near my house. He was full of vim and vigour from not having had much exercise due to two feet of snow in his paddock. I had just started cantering him around the arena and realized I must have started him off on the wrong foot because it was feeling very bumpy. I was just thinking that I should stop him and start again and wondering what it would be like to be thrown off ones horse, when he bucked up his back legs and threw me off.
I remember it as clear as day. I literally flew through the air on my stomach, headed for the wall. Looking down at the ground, I didn't want to land on my head and break my neck. Somehow, either I turned myself, or the angle at which I'd been thrown off turned my body in midair, but the next minute I was suddenly lying on my back in the air, watching the wall next to me rise before my eyes as I floated down to earth, waiting to feel what it was going to feel like to land splat on my back. If I'd watched an action movie recently, I'm sure I might have thought of maybe rolling myself into a ball on landing or some other clever maneuver to minimize the physical damage but I didn't think of it at the time and hit the ground with incredible force. The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion, although it must have taken just a few seconds from start to finish.
I immediately wiggled my toes to make sure I wasn't paralyzed and called for help. Sunny, meanwhile must have stopped cantering because I don't remember him continuing around the arena. Luckily a stable worker was in the adjoining arena and heard me call. After a freezing 10-15 minutes of lying on the ground in subzero temperatures without a coat on - I'd taken it off because I'd grown hot from lunging Sunny on a rope prior to riding - the EMT's arrived and then the ambulance came to take me to the hospital.
To cut a long story short, after a diagnosis of a fractured sacrum and six agonizing days in the hospital, I was discharged home to begin my recuperation. This is where the blessing in disguise comes in: Being forbidden by my doctor to return to work for at least six weeks, I had a lot of time of my hands. At first I fought against the idea of languishing at home, thinking I was going to be so bored. However, after a week or two when I was finally beginning to feel and move around a lot better, I actually began to enjoy it and turned my attention to editing Book 7 which, I'm sad to say, I had been neglecting for several months.
Boy, what a job that was! How did I ever hold down a full time job and manage to edit my previous books without losing my sanity? I swear, I spent the next three weeks, eight hours a day, editing, editing, editing, and I still wasn't done by the time I returned to work. And that's where the second part of the blessing in disguise comes in.
Thinking I still needed time to recuperate, my boss asked me if I would like to start working two days a week at first. Forgetting the stresses and strains of the one-man legal office (similar to forgetting the pains of childbirth), I was determined to return to work at my usual four-day-a-week schedule and fought strenuously against my boss's recommendation to do otherwise. Well, I'd been back in the office for two whole days and realized that, no, I actually wasn't happy to be back in the rat race and would much rather be at home, working on my book, my screenplay, and other projects I've had in mind for ages to do.
After agonizing over the decision whether to quit or not quit, and receiving my husband's blessing to follow my creative dreams, I handed in my notice at the beginning of the next week.
So, now, here I am four weeks later, sitting at my laptop in my dining room in the middle of the day and it feels great. I have just, this very moment, finished the last, final edit, labeled the chapters, done the cover page, and printed the whole manuscript, punched holes in it (I really must put a three-hole electric punch on my birthday list) and put it in a binder, all 316 pages' worth. I've also drafted an exciting synopsis and cover letter. Woo hoo! Let's hope Vampires in Disguise (working title) finds a good home.
Thank you, Sunny, for throwing me off your back and breaking my sacrum. If it weren't for you, I'd probably never have had the courage to do this!
I remember it as clear as day. I literally flew through the air on my stomach, headed for the wall. Looking down at the ground, I didn't want to land on my head and break my neck. Somehow, either I turned myself, or the angle at which I'd been thrown off turned my body in midair, but the next minute I was suddenly lying on my back in the air, watching the wall next to me rise before my eyes as I floated down to earth, waiting to feel what it was going to feel like to land splat on my back. If I'd watched an action movie recently, I'm sure I might have thought of maybe rolling myself into a ball on landing or some other clever maneuver to minimize the physical damage but I didn't think of it at the time and hit the ground with incredible force. The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion, although it must have taken just a few seconds from start to finish.
I immediately wiggled my toes to make sure I wasn't paralyzed and called for help. Sunny, meanwhile must have stopped cantering because I don't remember him continuing around the arena. Luckily a stable worker was in the adjoining arena and heard me call. After a freezing 10-15 minutes of lying on the ground in subzero temperatures without a coat on - I'd taken it off because I'd grown hot from lunging Sunny on a rope prior to riding - the EMT's arrived and then the ambulance came to take me to the hospital.
To cut a long story short, after a diagnosis of a fractured sacrum and six agonizing days in the hospital, I was discharged home to begin my recuperation. This is where the blessing in disguise comes in: Being forbidden by my doctor to return to work for at least six weeks, I had a lot of time of my hands. At first I fought against the idea of languishing at home, thinking I was going to be so bored. However, after a week or two when I was finally beginning to feel and move around a lot better, I actually began to enjoy it and turned my attention to editing Book 7 which, I'm sad to say, I had been neglecting for several months.
Boy, what a job that was! How did I ever hold down a full time job and manage to edit my previous books without losing my sanity? I swear, I spent the next three weeks, eight hours a day, editing, editing, editing, and I still wasn't done by the time I returned to work. And that's where the second part of the blessing in disguise comes in.
Thinking I still needed time to recuperate, my boss asked me if I would like to start working two days a week at first. Forgetting the stresses and strains of the one-man legal office (similar to forgetting the pains of childbirth), I was determined to return to work at my usual four-day-a-week schedule and fought strenuously against my boss's recommendation to do otherwise. Well, I'd been back in the office for two whole days and realized that, no, I actually wasn't happy to be back in the rat race and would much rather be at home, working on my book, my screenplay, and other projects I've had in mind for ages to do.
After agonizing over the decision whether to quit or not quit, and receiving my husband's blessing to follow my creative dreams, I handed in my notice at the beginning of the next week.
So, now, here I am four weeks later, sitting at my laptop in my dining room in the middle of the day and it feels great. I have just, this very moment, finished the last, final edit, labeled the chapters, done the cover page, and printed the whole manuscript, punched holes in it (I really must put a three-hole electric punch on my birthday list) and put it in a binder, all 316 pages' worth. I've also drafted an exciting synopsis and cover letter. Woo hoo! Let's hope Vampires in Disguise (working title) finds a good home.
Thank you, Sunny, for throwing me off your back and breaking my sacrum. If it weren't for you, I'd probably never have had the courage to do this!
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