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Since it is now fall, I thought it would be a good time to talk about falling. Leaves are not the only thing that can hit the ground -- so can clumsy people.
I should know, I have been hitting the ground for years. I have been tripping over things my whole life, sometimes on a national stage. Some have been work related, others because I did something stupid.
Here are a few of the highlights.
A few days before Ronald Reagan was elected president of the United States he visited Marietta to make a speech at Marietta College. He landed at the Wood County Airport. My plan was to take photos of his landing and then leave quickly to get to my car and get ahead of the motorcade. The field house would be sealed once the candidate arrived, so I had to beat him there. I was sprinting across the parking lot and tripped on one of the brightly painted curbs that you pull your front tires against when parking. I went flying, while airborne I had to make a split second decision to either let go of the cameras I had in each hand or make a belly landing on the parking lot.
I hit hard; I might have in fact bounced a little. I got up, brushed off the gravel and turned around to see the entire national press corps pointing in my direction and laughing. Standing among the elite journalist was local legend Jesse Mancini. It has become a newsroom tradition that each time we hire a new reporter, Jesse retells the story on their first day. He seems to embellish it a little more each time.
Another epic fall occurred about 20 years ago when for some reason I wanted to show my children that I could still ride a unicycle. It turns out I couldn’t and did a face plant in front of my parents’ house. I did what I should not have done and held my arms out, a strategy that nearly broke my left elbow and sent me to the emergency room where it was wrapped as though it was broken. Try explaining that one when you return to work on Monday.
Hard to explain as well was getting a concussion when ice skating at Myrtle Beach. Even the doctors at the Grand Strand Medical Center were dumb founded on how I managed to do that.
Falling only escalated when I began trail running in my fifties. Trails have roots and roots will bring you to the ground in a hurry. The trick I have found is to embrace the fall. You are likely not going to stop the impact with the ground, so it is pointless to try to stop it. Instead, try to lessen how hard you hit. Use your arms like shock absorbers to lower yourself to the ground.
Above all, try not to have your head hit anything hard. That was something I could not control when I went out of control at McDonough Nature Park. My head hit the ground before my feet, and I had the odd sensation of the world turning sideways. I haven't been able to run down that hill since.
Proper shoes can control falls somewhat. But they can and will happen, so be prepared to hit the ground without getting hurt. I'm not an expert at it, but I do have a lot of practice.
Autumn, or fall, is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, particularly the abundant number of nature trails that we have in our area. The amount of leaf litter that you will find on the trail only increases your chances of falling because you cannot see the roots below them.
Just remember to pick up your feet and if you find yourself falling, let go of things that you have in your hands, embrace the fact that you are going down and try lessen the sudden stop when you hit the ground.
Enjoy the fall ... and the autumn.
Art Smith is online manager of The Marietta Times and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, he can be reached at asmith@mariettstimes.com