Getting Reoriented

I was falling towards a busy street

Have you ever felt the slow, disorienting fall? Sure, I’ve missed a step, stumbled, tumbled, crashed, and just plain dropped. But that one time, on a street corner, it was very different.
 
I had food bags in both hands, I was contemplating how I was going to reach my keys when I got to the parking lot, and I stepped into a handicap ramp on a corner.
 
It was early spring, a beautiful day, and the restaurant across the street had an outdoor deck full of diners. A winter’s worth of plowing had deposited a good layer of tiny gravel and glass shards on the ramp, and I put my foot down. It just didn’t stay there.
 
As I started to slide my mind shattered into about a dozen pieces:

• I'm falling backwards! I worried about hitting my head
• I'm sliding forwards! I worried about ending up in the busy street
• The gravel was so LOUD! It was surprising
• Will anyone from the restaurant deck see me?
• Don’t squash the food. Don’t squash the food.
• What is happening?!

---

ouch

The sidewalk behind me rose up faster than I expected because, ramp. I sliced my hand and my elbow on broken glass. I tried to drag my feet under me, away from the street. I was reclining on dirty concrete. I had no idea what was going on, and I even briefly forgot where I was.
 
Part of my brain saw a woman crossing the street, talking on her phone, and heard her say, “Hold on, someone fell, I’ll call you back.” Part of my brain wondered, “Who fell?”
 
Thankfully she squatted down and started helping me untangle from the bags, instead of trying to pull me to my feet. It took me several (many) seconds to re-orient myself, check my parts, and start breathing again.

​Then she helped me up, dusted me off, and disappeared like magic. I got to my car, collected myself, and went home.

What’s the point?
 
Simply, that one day you may also find yourself on unstable footing, unlike anything else you’ve ever experienced before, and in need of grounding, direction, or even adaptation.
 
Sometimes it’s something physical that changes you dramatically. Sometimes is your perception or acceptance of what's “normal” or “reality”. Whatever it is, it can shake you up and make you lose your senses.
 
And I get it. I can help.

I’m stepping into the space of working on our physical foundations, literally and figuratively. Whether you’re trying to avoid, recover from, or adjust to your own slide in the gravel, we’ll get you settled first, see what’s what, and build a framework to help you work in the strengthening and supporting practices I give you- like scaffolding.

​You're not alone.