Wounded Pride and Posterior

One less serious thought than those underlying some recent   posts on this blog but still a painful  reminder of the human condition  comes from    my falling on ice a few days back    at c. 6:30am on the railway footpath that  links SW20 to the train station. Feet sliding sliding from under me resulting in a hard landing,   posterior first on the ice - in other words sitting down  on the ground bruisingly hard. Falling in such ungainly fashion I last experienced at  at age 11. Fifty years or so on   pride and body are somewhat more sorely wounded - at 11 one virtually bounces back without a thought and carries on playing but  by adulthood pride  takes hold and bouncing no longer comes naturally. Also commuting has largely replaced playing and I was thankful no one was around to see.

Attempting to run shortly afterwards on Wimbledon Common aggravated both  wounded pride and  posterior. compounded  by my being caught up and overtaken by a regular Wimbledon Common jogger who is an army amputee  jogging using crutches and one leg. He gave a cheery "what's up mate - keep going" as he  ran gamely by.  He is a man I really admire  as running for him must be far harder than for many. The session on the Common is probably as much an upper body work out for him as it is for his leg muscles.  Today he greeted me with a; "much better this week then", as our paths crossed.

Those with the largest burdens can be the most human of souls.