š„Ā Branch on my head
Walking mindfully & headlessly* in the woods. Suddenly a loud noise. And bang..! My head gets hit hard by a falling branch.
Hands reach up: blood all over. Stumbling. Sinking onto the knees and bending forward to let the blood drip onto the ground, preventing it from messing up the new fleece jacket.
Trembling hands grab into the back pocket for paper handkerchieves to stop the bleeding. Whole package gets used before it stops.
An elderly couple comes to rescue. They must have seen it happen. The woman runs away to get help. The man stays on the spot, wants to make an emergency phone call. But I manage to call my daughter, who calls my ex, to get her car.
Hands shake for about five minutes. Then everything settles down. Four people around, worried because of the wound and the blood-covered head and face. I thank them, tell them I can manage, show them I can balance on one leg, talk, and walk a few minutes in the only direction that the care can come from.
Then we go, to the hospital. I call the emergency department. They ask what the wound looks like. I canāt see it, so I ask my driving ex to look, who prefers not to see it...
45 Minutes later: the nice emergency doctor helps us. Wound: long, frayed, split open. Skull okay. Needs stitches and a tetanus shot. Iām sure thereās no concussion or trauma. The physician checks mental & physical state with questions and tests, recognizes our humor, and agrees.Ā But he says I should absolutely not be alone that night because you never know...
So after more than 2 decades, I sleep in the same house as my ex. Well, sleep... not really much. At 3 oāclock at night, I realize something else must at play. Maybe once again sleeplessness caused by the full moon? I check online, and yes, that turns out to be the case. Strong full moon precisely that night. Okay, at least the body & moon are in tune.
The accident causes fatigue for a few days. Lots of sleep, minimal screen activities. Have to be careful with sleeping position, showering, bending the head, frowning and wiggling the ears. All that can cause bleeding, leaking, or simply pain.
Learnings...
I have lived in this village in the woods for three years now. And walked every day for 1 to 4 hours. I usually donāt walk on even paths but on the uneven ground. Feels so much nicer to the feet in barefoot shoes. So I learned to watch my steps. With peripheral vision. That watchfulness needs an upgrade now.
In these woods, Iāve seen snakes, ticks, a mad wild horse, mountain bikers racing out of nowhere, birds of prey that attack joggers, and even a wolf.
Iāve seen innumerable fallen trees and branches. Heard some trees come down with tremendous noise, and heard branches break nearby. Always sudden happenings. I never feared any of that.
From now on I will not only look at where those fallen objects landed, but also where they originate... Peripheral vision will include more of heaven. The higher parts of the trees, branches without leaves.
And in some areas of the forest, Iāll protect the head with an elegant rugby scrap cap instead of my regular cap :-)
Being mindful doesnāt automatically protect from danger. Being headless doesnāt mean the head canāt be hurt. Not being somebody doesnāt mean some body canāt get an accident. Being spacious awareness doesnāt mean something unpleasant canāt appear out of space, like a falling branch, birdshit, a bullet or a mosquito. Living almost timelessly in the Now doesnāt mean everything happens now.Ā Thousands of fallen branches & trees have fallen in past moments in time(lessness). So glad they donāt all fall down in the now moment this body passes by. This morning I walk back, to find that branch. Still there. Covered with mold and mushrooms. Length almost 7 foot or 2 meters. So heavy, I can hardly lift it. Roll it off the path so that other people wonāt stumble over it.
Feeling gratitude
Grateful for the branch not hitting too hard & keeping somebody alive. Thankful for the first responders, my daughter and her mother (hope they were not in shock). The nice doctor. The Dutch health care system (costs: only 38 euros). The head for having only a few short hairs making treatment & healing easier. The body for stopping the bleeding & healing quickly. And awareness, for dissolving stress immediately, leaving no trace of trauma.
Ā© Robberto Bos