My remarkable body…

Who doesn’t wonder in awe at our bodies, what they can do and what we humans are capable of?

Run a marathon in less than 2 hours and create innovations like mobile phones and electric cars.

Admittedly such accomplishments are mainly the feats of other (more remarkable) people but nonetheless, all feats we can marvel at and enjoy for ourselves.

My body is more humble in its output and its accomplishments but within this meagre framework, it is remarkable too. In the last decade I have endured two bad accidents and without some good fortune I might easily not be around to write this post.

A scooter accident in 2012 which resulted in a compound fracture and my ankle bone making an appearance through my jeans and more recently, when I rolled a quad bike off a hillside, jeopardising my life and Paddy’s also.

(Both incidents recorded on this blog for those interested)

The quad bike was certainly a near death experience. I thought that I had broken my arm albeit this was not the case. The leg incident, although very nasty, it did provide me me with a long stand-up routine – although with hindsight, I wouldn’t have accepted such painful but lucrative terms as I set out for home from the top of that bloody hill. At a gig where I had recounted the tale, a surgeon approached me afterwards and was interested in how I had been treated on arrival at hospital, particularly in how they kept any infections at bay. I recounted that they poured copious amounts of iodine over my foot and he smiled fondly and then explained this had been my great fortune. He told me that an infection would have recurred throughout my life and would blight me forever. A near miss then?

A common theme of both these injuries is that they were entirely avoidable and completely and utterly my fault. Not that I need reminding of this but still… and now I come to the clever part of my body…

…on my ankle where the bone peeped through and on my wrist where I bore the weight of a quad bike, are two angry scars which seem intent on hanging around forever. Normally, I am a quick healer and injuries fade in to oblivion but not these two. Proud and visible, as though they are angry reminders of what an arse I can be and that I might look to be more careful in future.

So there we have it.

Okay, not a great physical virtue of mine. Certainly, not in the league of being able to cover 26 miles (and some…) in less than two flipping hours – but a constant reminder of my vulnerability and that I should proceed with caution.

As yet, no such visible comedy scars that might prevent me from my day/night job – where I risk death every time I take to the stage.

And it is fortunate then that emotional scars (of which I have plenty) are oblique and invisible – because this is how I make my living…

 

 

15 thoughts on “My remarkable body…

    • Blackice says:

      When I was in elementary school I had fractured by ankle from running down the stairs too fast. Ever since then my brain senses that danger and signals that I need to slow down whenever I go down the stairs whether it’s at school, at home or anywhere. I think our bodies learn from the mistakes we make and we might not even fully know of it and I guess that’s what makes us stronger than ever before and still we might not even realize of that. Sometimes we need those painful reminders to overcome more difficult challenges in life and to remind us who we are and how much we can actually take. Hope you are doing well.

  1. Shaina D says:

    Dom,
    A deep, meaningful, and insightful post. Nice to balance out your more light-hearted fun ones with ones like these.
    As you so perfectly said, everyone has scars, whether on the outside or the inside. They prove as great reminds of what we have been through and what we have overcome.
    This blog left a wistful feeling inside of me. Thank you for that.
    Another great piece.
    Best,
    Shaina D

  2. Paul says:

    Buddhism teaches that there will always be pain, sickness and death but if we accept these things as a fact of life, we will not suffer so much.
    4 things to live by: Life is change; Focus on the positive; Don’t compare today with yesterday; and Count your blessings – because there is no going back (unless you can travel through the Quantum Realm?)

  3. Theresa Garnett says:

    As always a great post Dom. We do indeed all have scars (physical and mental) and they serve to make us the people we are. They remind us that we have lived, loved, laughed, lost .. and we should be proud of each and every one , even if they are a reminder that we may have been a tw@t getting some of them!

  4. Becky Z. says:

    The saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is very true although some days it makes me mad. There are days I look at what I’ve been through and am proud how far I’ve come and of the person I am because of it and there are other days I don’t want to get out of bed. Thankfully the proud days outweigh the bad.

    Our bodies are amazing, truly. We heal from injury, pain and loss…I believe scars are Gods little reminder of how strong we really are. His way of showing us to remember what we’ve gone through but of how he brought us through it.

    I’m glad you’re still here to share your thoughts with us.

  5. Pamela says:

    Reading this post I can relate. I, too, have broken bones doing not so graceful things. My last was slipping on the ice and breaking my foot in November. I had surgery in April. Now I have plates, screws and sporting a nasty scar. More surgery down the road to remove all the hardware. Like you said, we all have scars and they remind us of what’s happened but also what we have overcome!!

  6. Regina says:

    At least your scars have cools stories. All mine are lame. The one on my hand is from a cat scratching me twice in the same place and the one on my knee is from jumping into a car and landing in the seat buckle. The rest are from having chicken pox as a very small child and scratching the marks off.

  7. A.J. says:

    I love the part where you say they were “completely avoidable and utterly my fault.” Yup, those accidents always leave the biggest scars and the best stories! But I especially appreciate the fact that you recognize how lucky you are to have recovered so well. Scars are just proof that you’ve led an interesting life.

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