I thought it was Winter, not Fall

After picking Ava up from the babysitter's house today we drove home and I got her out of the car. Having seen the mailman down the road when I had left to pick her up, we walked down the driveway to make a mailbox pit-stop. There I was, minding my own business* when all of a sudden my ankle rolled off the side of the driveway. Yeah, it hurt, but the problem was that my next destination appeared to be the concrete of the driveway, not the mailbox. Typically, even this wouldn't have been a problem other than the resulting sore ankle and scuffed hands. I, however, was carrying Ava when this occurred.

It is amazing how fast your reflexes kick in to catch yourself when falling. Possibly even more amazing is the ability of your mind to override the reflex when it would result in dropping your daughter on the cement. By the time I had realized what was happening, Ava was still in my arms, albeit horizontal. I was convinced we were going down, but somehow bought myself precious tenths of a second by getting my legs out in front of me. My fall converted into the fall/run that is so common on America's Funniest Videos. This was an improvement, but we were probably still going down. I forgot to mention I was falling/running into the street.

By the time I completed my 10 yard dash into the middle of the street I finally regained my balance. A quick look both ways assured me that we weren't about to become hood ornaments. Never underestimate the value of living on a quiet street.

I looked up to see my neighbor giving me a strange look. Apparently he was minding his own business when his neighbor's shoes started slapping the pavement and caught his attention. Well, that and the falling without style. I am no Buzz Lightyear.

*[Interesting side note: "There I was, minding my own business" is a favorite introduction for someone in the ER explaining how they got beat up. That and, "I was walking to church (at 3AM) when".]