Fickle Finger of Fate

The last thing I saw – before I blacked out and hit the pavement – was a baseball. Heading right towards my face. In a sheer reflexive move, I turned my head slightly to the right, in a move to avoid the impact of the baseball that was heading directly at my nose.

And then – CRUNCH. Moment of impact. A round cushioned cork, wrapped in wool and polyester/cotton yarn, and then wrapped in cowhide – smashing into my face at a speed of about 50 m.p.h.

My nose never stood a chance.

When I came to, after the collision, I was laying on the pavement of my church parking lot. I was 12 years old at the time – and the youth group at my church had been playing an impromptu game of catch in the back parking lot – boys at one end, girls on the other.

A kid named Stuart Hamilton had made the fateful throw that would change my life forever – he heaved that baseball as hard as he could – and as it came hurtling through the sky towards us girls, two girls in front of me gave indications they were going to catch it. So I didn't make any effort to catch it. And at the last second, they both inexplicably ducked away from the ball – probably trying to be polite, as girls are prone to be, in allowing the other one to catch it – but thereby insuring that neither one of them caught it and only my nose would now catch it. And catch it, it did. POW.

Because of that slight right turn I had made a split second before impact, the baseball literally shoved my nose across my face to the right – leaving a hideously malformed, shattered, crooked bump on my face.

Surgery was immediately called for – and done – to repair the damage. And although the nose looked good on the outside, the damage on the inside was a little too much – a little too severe – to totally repair.

And the problems began.

Thirty-five years after that fateful day (May 12, 1974 – isn’t it funny how we can remember pivotal dates that change our lives?), and two surgeries later – I still suffer from chronic sinus problems….

This latest sinus infection, though, was admittedly one of the worst – I get them frequently, and have learned through the years to manage the pain and the inconvenience. But man, oh man – this one has kicked my ass. I have done nothing except lay in bed, going through Kleenex, Tylenol, Afrin, Sudafed and now my antibiotics as if my life depended on it.

I haven’t had an infection this bad in at least 2-3 years, so I guess I was due. But wow. Just wow. I think I’m on the upswing, now – I’m on Day #2 of a 10-day supply of antibiotics, so it can only get better from here on out, right?

Fate is funny sometimes…I have wondered how my life would have been different…if only….

But that, my friends, is a colossal waste of time. Fate deals the cards and we must play the hand we’re dealt with. I gotta’ crappy hand when it came to noses – but I pick myself up – squirt a little nasal spray (my lifesaver) - and move on.

Back to bed for me now. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I’ll be off of the self-pity blogging and I’ll be back to my old self. ☺

Peace.