JCK-at-large SITE

Talk about going out with a bang, I had a bike crash ten days ago on Chandamali — and ‘think’ I may have gone over the bars!  Finally feeling pretty much recovered.  Spent a week feeling like I was body-slammed by SmackDownSuperStar Bobby Lashley!

I had some speed — not DMC speed, of course — and I was cruising down the ‘bike lane’ on Lumumba Road with lots of congestion to my right, people dropping off kids at St. John’s.  I saw some space in the gridlock up ahead, signalled a right turn and made my move toward Chandamali.

That’s when the black Audi moved into my path.  This lady in very high heels, which I was to see close up later, was also making a right turn: from Chandamali onto Lumumba! Exactly across my lane!  I guess she accelerated when she saw some daylight — or maybe hit the accelerator instead of the brakes.  One never knows with those heels.

Of course she won.  Last thing I remember about the accident was seeing the nose of the Audi somehow beneath me — kind of like I was looking at it from a height.  That’s what makes me think I went over the bars.  Can’t track down a single witness.

I did a literal face-plant on the pavement, scarred up a knee, rasped my right arm, then clunk, right cheekbone — which puffed up like a golf ball.  The way I fell made me think I had been airborne.

There I was, kneeling like a very dedicated religious devotee in the middle of the road – no prayer mat of course — with ten pair of feet circled around me, including the culprit’s high heels, talking about ‘the hospital!’  I couldn’t budge, just trying to breathe — no concussion. 

Finally they helped the wounded off to the side, sat me on a little wall fence, a guy was waving a finger in front of my eyes — then, after a few futile calls to Ruth, he drove me home. Luckily, Lucky Mulenga, a mine manager, was the man on hand: loaded the Norco Yorkville in the back of his truck, me in the front and off we go.

Shot of morphine at the clinic, negative X-rays, lots of ice and painkillers to go.  Ten days of R&R to follow, just back to class yesterday, a full week after.  Worst part has been coughing or sneezing, which is just like a dagger in the ribcage!

Every day a little beta, PTL!  Reliving it, I’ve come to think it could have been curtains… and Ruth would have gotten a much different call — the kind we hate to even think about.  We’ve talked about what that would have meant… all the sadness and big changes, etc.  We even agreed that a nice Zambian burial with all the singing, beside some dear old friends, would not be ‘the worst way to go!!’  Pretty morbid note — except for a Zambian resurrection day! 

Anyway, very glad we don’t have to go there right now — or bother anyone to come and officiate!  As I like to remind people, “It’s good to be ready to go, but no need to go express!”  Just sharing the gratitude of the Psalmist is lovely, to be ‘walking before the Lord in the land of the living!’ (116:9). As we used to sing in Zimbabwe, “It’s mighty nice to be on the Lord’s side.…”

So I guess there’s a ‘ride to thrive,’ and then there’s ‘the ride to survive!’