Falling

No one likes to fall. This is universally human nature. We sometimes like the 'feeling' of falling, lots of amusement rides give you that same feeling. But mostly we don't like to fall.

I have lots of stories about falling; from horses, down the stairs, over the dog, into a ditch... the list could go on. I do my own stunts.

I fell in the barn. Nothing serious, but it happens so quickly you really don't have time to catch yourself.

I was tucking the boys in for the night, getting hay, cleaning up manure, filling water buckets, and like that. The Ford tractor, manure spreader, and lawn mower are parked in the middle of the barn aisle.

I had a full bucket of fresh water, a five-gallon bucket weighing about 40 lbs. Yea, I'm a heavy lifter. I tripped or caught my toe on an electrical cord while moving forward. The big tractor tire was to my left, the hayloft metal ladder to my right, the area to land was not wide.

I managed to realize I was not going to catch myself and swung the bucket forward, spilling the entire contents onto the floor while falling onto the now empty bucket and my knees. The bucket prevented me from a face-plant into the stonedust floor now puddled with five gallons of cold water. Now my knees were wet and my ribs were dented. My right hand was still wrapped around the bucket handle, which I fell directly onto. Ouch.

I was wearing my heavy coat and insulated leather barn gloves. Glad for that extra padding. My hand immediately started to swell. O boy.

Sprite spooked at the sight of a large puddle directly outside her stall door. It eventually soaked into the dust and gravel.

Let's not do that again.