injury theories and reality
Up until the last week of May I was enthusiastically telling people about my plan to avoid the brittleness of old age by continuously subjecting my body to the types of bumps and falls that people start to want to avoid as they enter their late forties. The theory being that if I keep, for example, falling off my bike, I stay tough and supple and don't have to worry about big injuries from falling accidentally. Then I put the idea to the absolute test by smashing my face into a tree after a failed landing on a jump, and for a couple weeks I wasn't crowing at all: I was sure I had broken myself forever.
Well, it's now over a month later and I'm back to my original theory. Sure, there are a few lingering effects from the crash. I have a scar on my cheek (which I think looks rather dashing). And, while all the pain in my arms is gone, my left thumb is still pretty numb. At least once a day I wonder if it'll stay numb forever and, if so, how long will it take me to get used to it? But it's not too worrying because it doesn't stop me from doing anything. I'm also still weaker that I was before I got hurt, at least in my left arm. That's recovering, though: I don't need to use two hands to put a saucepan of water on the stove any more. And, needless to say, I'm back on my bike! So it's safe to say that I haven't learned my lesson. The experiment continues!