Preservation
That could have ended badly. Yesterday I fell off the ship. Not whilst working – but whilst having my photo taken! A friend asked me, „Why don’t you turn round a bit?“ I did so, forgetting that I was standing on nothing but a three-centimetre-wide steel girder. I fell backwards into the void; my thigh slammed into the steel girder with full force and got caught there, whilst the knee of my other leg struck another steel girder. As I was holding a pneumatic hammer at the time, I couldn’t break my fall properly.
As my thigh was really hurting, I hobbled into A&E to have it checked out. The doctor reckons I’ve just got a massive bruise on my thigh, about the size of a saucer, and at most a few pulled muscles – nothing worse than that. She’s prescribed ice and rest. Good
, that today is Sunday.
I can’t bend down or bend my knees properly at the moment… but I’m just grateful that nothing worse happened. I could easily have injured my arm, spine or head in the fall. A huge bruise and slightly strained muscles are almost nothing. I’m grateful not only for this fortunate outcome, but also, looking back, for the accident-free construction process. Since August, I’ve been building the boat together with a changing group of helpers. Most of us had little or no building experience. And especially in the early stages, when there were no floors yet and below deck there was just a grid of steel beams, the boat was more like a climbing frame than a place where you could move around easily.
Even so, the accident rate is extremely low. Apart from a few minor cuts, nobody has had any mishaps since we started building the ship in Berlin. My fall yesterday was the worst of it. When I got home from the doctor’s, I booted up my laptop. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Elias by Medelson-Bartholdy. Beautiful music combined with messages that strengthen faith. When I pressed „Play“, the next song in the queue came on. A beautiful double quartet: „For he has commanded his angels to guard you in all your ways.“ That really moved me. I see God’s protection, care and kindness in the way I was spared during my fall and throughout the entire construction phase. And I am very grateful!
Hmmm…..
It looks a bit like a giant „hickey“! :-)
No, seriously, it’s such a relief that nothing worse happened to you. And yet I sometimes wonder why your guardian angel didn’t stop the fall altogether?
It’s important that you keep applying cold compresses and perhaps take something to reduce the swelling. Another good option is a quark poultice, or even arnica gel – I find that works quite well. But either way, it’ll take a bit of time for the bruise to heal… Get well soon!
Karin
Even the doctor gasped in shock today when I showed him the injury. He wrapped it in tape, as the tape apparently stabilises the thigh and speeds up healing… and I’m to keep icing it and moving it gently.
That morning, the thought „What if there’s an accident?“ kept popping into my head. I never think about things like that… Looking back, I wonder if God was trying to use those thoughts to remind me that it’s important to pray for protection. I don’t fully understand it all… but my sense of gratitude outweighs everything else.
And the doctor says I should drink plenty of fluids to take the strain off my kidneys, which now have to break down all sorts of damaged tissue.