Is it luck?

I was coming home the other evening from Cape Girardeau. It was well past sundown, and it was dark. I drove up to our gate, and it was locked, so it takes a key to unlock. No problem when the gate is in front of my pickup. So I unlocked the gate and drove through, but now I needed to lock it. Man it was dark-thirty out, and I really didn't have a flashlight. So I had this brilliant idea, or I thought it was, I'd shift my pickup into reverse and turn the pickup off and then back on. The pickup would be in reverse with the lights on but not running. So that's what I did.

Opened the door and got out, and as I did I noticed the pickup was rolling. What I should have done was let it roll and it wouldn't have gone anywhere, but I didn't. So I decided to get back in and stop the pickup. But the pickup is high off the ground and hard for me to step in off the ground, but I did get one leg in and was hoisting my back half in when I noticed there was a tree right there that was going to bump my door. Here I am half in and the door was fixing to squish me between the pickup and the tree.

I did get in and stopped the pickup. Started it and backed up where I could shut the gate. This time I shut the gate in the dark, which I should have done to start with. But in the whole process I hurt my hip. Not bad hurt but definitely sprained and tender. Kind of like a hip pointer in football. So I've been hobbling around the last week or so. It's a lot better but still tender.

I hesitated even telling Marge but got to thinking how this stunt I pulled would make a good story. So I told her the whole story. Now you all know the story as well. At 72 I could have broken a hip pretty easy. I drink quite a bit of milk weekly and take my multivitamin, so I'm getting calcium. But still could have ended up in worse shape.

I don't know why some get in a mess and end up really banged up, and I end up with a sore hip that I can recover from without intervention. I don't know. I walk away limping and some end up in a wheelchair or worse. Some have to have surgery. I don't know.

I remember one time back in my younger days there was quite a bit of snow on the ground, and we were getting the horses in. I was riding a horse I'd broke, and he was a fine little horse maybe 14 1/2 to 15 hands. I was galloping to drive the horses in the corral, and my horse stuck both front feet in a small ditch that was full of snow. And we ended up going end over end. He got up, and I got up, and we got the horses in the corral. Nothing hurt. I'm not sure if I ever told Marge about this wreck.

Have I been lucky? Some would say, yes, I've been lucky. Others would say I've been blessed. As for my opinion probably a little of both. I've had those scrapes where it took a doctor to fix it. Had a few stitches back when I was a kid. As I got older electric tape and paper towels worked. Shot a few nails through my fingers with a nail gun. Bashed my fingers a lot with a 22-ounce Estwing.

If I was to offer advice to the old fogies out there or the young whipper-snappers, I'd say slow down and get your head in the game. Turn your phone off. Do things the safest way possible even if it's a little risky. And when you go out to play, do your best to play safe. If you are going to drink then find a fine looking chair and have at it. Drive sober.