Keeping my Heart in my Sock

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Freaked out
I’ve never really understood those ‘Funniest Home video’ type shows, where everyone pisses themselves laughing at some poor person falling down, getting kicked in the nuts or crashing a bike/wheelbarrow/pogo stick in what could only be a dangerous and painful way.
That kind of thing just doesn’t make me laugh. So you can imagine my horror when I got to witness a real life version of one of those videos the other day.

I dropped in at my parents place, and it turned out that Mum was babysitting my niece and nephew. It was a nice day so we were outside throwing a ball around. My niece tossed the ball up in the air, way above Mum’s head, and for some inexplicable reason known only to her, my arthritic 60 year old mother leapt to catch it. She tripped on a loose paver and went down like a sack of spuds, whacking her head hard against the bluestone brick border on the nearby garden bed.

I freaked out. I felt my heart drop so far I was scared to look down in case I saw it lying at my feet. It was one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen happen. I’d never thought about it before, but at some point you reach an age where falling down becomes a really big deal. A while back I saw a woman of about 60 or 70 stumble in the street and hit the ground with a disturbing ‘thwack!’ and it was a terrible, horrible thing to see. But this time I wasn’t just watching some random person fall down, it was my Mum; the person who will forever in my eyes epitomise the strength and power of being a grown-up. It was a horrifying thing to see happen.

My niece and Nephew didn’t understand what the big deal was – after all, they fall down all the time. They couldn’t work out why their Nanna taking a bit of a spill had everyone running around like crazy.


Mum was ok – she had a bit of a headache, a badly scraped arm and bruised ribs, but no serious injuries. Despite the fact that she was ok, I still felt as though I was carrying my heart around in my shoes for the next few 24 hours.


And if I had through some freak of chance caught the whole thing on tape? There is no cash prize that could ever persuade me to air it on national TV with a cheesy voiceover and comedic sound effects.

5 comments:

S U J A Y S said...

absolutely right you said. I do agree with you. Actually i get angry on such freek tv programmes. people dont know the defination of humour. A laugh should not be on physical appearances or on deformity of a person.
Take care.
Sujays

crowleyancanto said...

I guess after the fact people can laugh if everything turns out okay, but I know what you mean about being scared half out of your mind when a freaky accident happens. I've been in the situation myself and its anybody but funny. There's a show here in Canada called "Just For Laughs Gags" where they stage phony accidents and stuff just to get reactions - most people are even tempered and have a sense of humor. If somebody pulled one of those gags on me I'd be cursing at them until the cows come home.

Anonymous said...

Its sad but true. That sadistic, stupid humor often passes these days. Heavens know why.
Pain is pain and it hurts for a reason. Not to be part of another persons enjoyment.

Anonymous said...

It’s called comic relief. Yes…witnessing mom hit the ground would be very scary, but when you realized she was ok, did you smile and “laugh about it?” Try that sometime. Laugh at life, because it’s tough out there. And yes…mom and you would gladly split $10,000. Don’t be a Debbie Downer, don't get pissed off as much, AND laugh more often.

torrygirl said...

Sure 'Anonymous', Mum and I did have a little joke about it afterwards to lighten the mood - but that doesn't mean I think the rest of the world should get to witness it and laugh about it. As far as i'm concerned it's ok to laugh about these things when you need it to recover from the shock and trauma of a horrible moment, but laughing at them without having those contrasting feelings first is just wrong.

I don't know what kind of relationship the 'anonymous' family have, but in my family, you can't put a price on the hapiness and dignity of your loved ones, so don't presume to claim that we would sell ourselves out for something as useless as cash.


And Anonymous, if you want to preach at people not to get pissed off and to laugh more - try leaving some positive feedback instead of name calling.

Post a Comment