Storytelling Thursdays
One Should Avoid Falling in Ditches
My computer files are filled with the stories I have written. Some are true, some are not. Some made it into books, some did not. Some are still in my head waiting to be written. Hopefully, having a story in your inbox on Thursdays will brighten your weeks as winter trudges toward spring. I will also recommend some books I have loved!
One Should Avoid Falling in Ditches
From the bottom of the ditch, the light inside the van illuminated my husband and children. Trying to get my breath, I checked to see if my fingers and toes moved.
Then their heads turned and peered out into the darkness.
“Scott!” I squeaked (like a mouse).
Still not seeing me, he got out of the van and walked toward the ditch toward the sound of my voice.
“What are you doing in the ditch‽”
What did he think I was doing in a grassy, slimy ditch?
The edges of the ditch were so slick, it took some effort to extricate my already hurting body. My clothes were disgusting.
We were out delivering papers, one of our great ideas for extra income. Some of the subscribers requested their newspapers be porched and I got out of the van to do that—and decided to leap over the ditch on the way back to the van. Not a good plan.
The next day was Sunday. No muscle had escaped unscathed.
My kindergarten son came to my bedside and said, “Mom, you know the rule. If you don’t go to church, you can’t go out and play this afternoon.”
Fair enough.
A few days later a raging UTI descended upon me and I cried over every pothole on the way to urgent care. After drugging myself for several agonizing days, my doctor at the follow-up appointment, wondered whether I had passed a kidney stone. This helped me feel more justified in every single pain pill I took.
After running tests, the doctor entered the room visibly excited to tell me the image revealed an unusual condition. He had only ever seen it in textbooks. How special! He showed me the test results and the textbook image. They did look the same—to my untrained eye.
He said, “The kidney stones are there in a pocket, but shouldn’t have escaped.”
So, I had little escape artist kidney stones?
“Would a fall in a ditch and severe impact to the kidney area knock one loose?” I asked.
He stared at me and could only say, “Possibly.”
My ditch-jumping days were over.
(Reprinted from A Brave Life: Survival, Resilience, Faith and Hope after Childhood Trauma)
Have you read “That’s Good! That’s Bad!”?
When I tell this story, I often fall into the rhythm of this book. My years of teaching and reading children’s books to adults and children show up in both my writing and storytelling!
This was absolutely perfect for today. Thank you!