Flat as a Pancake

I really enjoy watching all those home video shows that show the people falling and running into things. When I watch them I laugh REALLY loud the entire show. I think it stems from me being a bit klutzy so I find it comforting when others are too. I used to always get yelled at for looking down when I walk. I do it a lot. It seems there is a catch 22 though with this situation. When I look down I can't see the tree branch, or chandelier, I'm about to run into ~ a common occurrence for me. When I don't look down I often trip on things.

Most of you know that I live and work in the city. To ensure that I'm not going to trip on a crack in the sidewalk or step on, ahem, dog poop I tend to look down A LOT. I also ride the bus to and from work every day, so I do a lot of walking to get places when I'm not on the bus. You get the picture.

Well yesterday I walked out of my office building to see MY BUS at my stop and it was empty! It's the little things in life I tell ya. If any of you ride public transit, then you know it's a good day when you don't have to wait for the CTA for at least ten minutes ~ with thirty other people waiting to go in the same direction you are. Then everyone crams in like sardines, onto an already packed bus, just to see another EMPTY bus drive by and pass your stop all together. Take my word for it, it's VERY annoying. So to see an empty bus at my stop right when I wanted it there was a good sign.

ANYWAY, I proceed to walk at a brisk pace to the bus. At this point I'm not looking down because I have to go a whole ten feet and I figured I was safe. Well, about eight feet into that ten feet I trip on a crack in the side walk. Now I'm talking a MAJOR trip, not one of those little one's you can save yourself from and pretend it didn't happen. This is a BIG trip. In the middle of it I think to myself. "Oh crap, wait I may be able to pretend this is not happening and not fall all the way. Just a tiny trip. No one will notice...". Nope. That was a lie. Before I knew it I was face down on the sidewalk. Arms and legs spread eagle. In front of City Hall. IN FRONT OF MY BUS! Like I said I've fallen numerous times in my life due to my klutziness, but this has to be in the top five. Once I realize I'm flat on the ground I make sure no appendages are broken and hurry to my feet. There was a nice girl that asked me if I was OK and I was, just a bit bruised. Thankfully my bus driver waited, and I got on the bus and didn't have to stand around the twenty people that saw me crash and burn. I fled from the scene as fast as that CTA bus would take me where I proceeded to laugh at myself all the way home.

So what did I learn from this you may ask? Well, I've learned that I'm OK with looking down when I walk. It's one bad habit I'm not going to work on fixing if I can help it. It's better to look down then to ending up horizontal on the dirty Chicago sidewalk in front of a bunch of strangers!