Slow Down, you're moving too fast

Slow down, baby now you're movin' way too fast - Beatles

I slipped and fell again during the weekend. This time, I stepped on the wet tiles outside my bathroom and whoosh… landed on my back. Strangely, in that split second, time seemed to come to a standstill… I knew it was too late to prevent it but my mind was racing…I must break this fall to prevent my back from breaking! Instinctively, I stretched out my left hand to cushion the fall and landed in slow motion, first on my bum, then flat on my back.

Today, the muscles on my left arm feel a little sore but boy was I lucky I didn’t hurt my back. If I had landed heavily on my back, the result would be unthinkable.

To think that last week, I was evaluating an insurance policy for my mum. It’s a personal accident plan that covers medical treatments for the elderly who suffer from injuries due to falls and accidents. I should get one for myself too.

Maybe I walk too fast or am always in a hurry… I seem to fall pretty often. Then again, it’s not just me. My business associate from UK had to delay his trip to Singapore because he fell down the stairs yesterday and sprained his ankle. The poor guy couldn’t walk and you know how much walking one has to do at the huge airports these days.

When I told V about my fall, it literally sent a chill down her spine. In her resort town of Bend, a young boy who went snowboarding had a little fall, and became totally paralysed from neck down. It seems that around 44 people suffer serious injuries like paralysis due to skiing and snowboarding in USA every year.

Last week, a young man in Singapore who was involved in a little traffic accident, got into a tiff with the other driver. In his bid to prevent the other driver from getting away from the scene, he fell and hit his head against the pavement. The doctors had to remove part of his brain to save his life. He is still in a coma today.

I don’t mean to be so pessimistic but it’s scary when you think of the worst scenarios. It pays to be more careful. Slow down and don’t take any unnecessary risks.