Tuesday 8 June 2010

I need to record the experience of my fall last Thursday.  It's all I can think about.  I experienced a miracle and a blessing.  But for that fact, I'd be in the hospital.

I was helping Adam unload two pivots from a semi truck.  One of my jobs was to get up on the 5-foot-high trailer bed, and throw 300-pound wheels over the side where Adam and the truck driver would intercept them and steer them into a leaning pile.  There were perhaps two dozen of them.  Overcoming the inertia of a 300-pound, stationary object requires a lot of force.  I grabbed hold of the rubber tread of the last wheel and gave a mighty heave to start it moving toward the edge of the trailer bed.  My slick glove slipped off the rubber, and I went sailing out into space.

At that moment everything seemingly slowed down because I had lots of time to think.  In actuality what was happening was that the Holy Ghost instantaneously fired off several instructions to me.  I received a lot of information in just an instant.

A voice inside my head said, "Don't extend any limbs to try to catch yourself."  Superimposed over that message was another one from the same voice, "It's important that you land flat."

In obedience to those instructions I kept my arms tucked in, and was trying to get myself into what I hoped was a flat position.  In reality there wasn't time for me to do anything.  There is no way that I could have properly positioned myself without help.  I'm going to be very interested to watch a replay of this episode when I get to the other side so that I can see how the angels that are round about me were able to bear me up and properly position me.  (See D&C 84:42,  84).

Adam watched the whole thing.  He said that my fall was "quite acrobatic."  I turned a flip in the air.  At the last instant I raised my head, and it looked like I was "lying down on a soft cushion."

I think I was relaxed rather than tensed up, which probably helped.  At the moment of impact I was listening very intently for a snap.  I wanted to know what was broken.  I didn't hear anything.  My first thoughts were, "Good, nothing broke!  Good, I landed flat!  Good, I landed on my good side (my right side) rather than on my new hip."

Adam asked, "Are you all right?"

I said, "Yep," and got up.  The wind wasn't even knocked out of me.  The truck driver told Adam later, "That's a tough old bird."

All I have is a slightly sore hip.  Every time I feel it, I remember to thank my Father in heaven for this tremendous blessing.  I think it came to me because of my temple service.