See you next Fall

Ever have one of those moments in time that last mere fractions of a second yet seem like an eternity? It’s funny how the perception of time changes relative to the situation at hand.

I was taking off my pants, in the process of getting ready for bed, when a baby toy (stuffed animal or something, probably “Elmo”) jumped right out in front of me and caused me to lose my balance. Had I simply just let the inevitable happen... that being the eminent busting of ass... well it simply wouldn’t have been nearly as entertaining would it? So as I’m flailing around practicing cartwheels with my pants just below the knees, I found all kinds of time to consider my options. Falling down however did not make the short list.

It felt like enough time passed by that I could have prepared my tax return, completed next year’s Christmas list, or even accessed the local newspaper’s website. But in actuality, there was barely enough time for my wife to gasp (and then hysterically laugh once she saw I survived) as I crashed into the floor sans my dignity.

They say that 15 minutes of laugher a day provides a great health benefit (from weight loss to a healthier heart). I got those 15 minutes off to a rip-roaring start tonight, without even trying. Ironic isn’t it that the said 15-minutes of laughter appear to come and go so quickly and yet the half a second of shear terror and mortification plod along for an eternity.

Thankfully a good laugh is worth a 1,000 embarrassing moments (and vice versa) at my house. And we’ll be reliving this one for years (and years) to come. I don’t recall anything on the “Elmo” packaging stating fall/trip danger or heart attack inducing giggle hazard, but I’m not complaining.