Accruing Karma

A year before my Camino I quit running.  To avoid injury.  With only 71 days to go until the great UK adventure I'm following that advice again.  Because I don't want to end up with something like...oh, I don't know...something like...tendinitis.  Just weeks before the Camino I also decided that keeping a low profile was the safest bet after a series of potential injury causing missteps.  And it worked -- by departure day I was fit as the proverbial fiddle. Not so much as a paper cut.  Today it became painfully obvious that it's time once again to break out the bubble wrap...

First, let me just say that there is nothing funny about people falling down stairs.  Second, wood exposed to relentless rain develops a slimy surface.  But it's like black ice -- you don't realize it's there until it's too late.  Third, doing someone a favour is a good thing. The gods of karma should be paying attention to that. 

So I'm leaving my neighbour's house.  I've gone over to get instruction on how to give some medication to one of his cats while he goes away over night. There's that good thing I'm doing.  Which the karma gods apparently missed. I put one foot down on the top wooden step -- did I mention the part about our relentless rains of late?  Feet go straight out from under me and I come down hard on my tailbone.  That might have been the end of it had there been a handrail to grab onto.  But nope, no handrail.  Lawsuit pending.  And because the steps are so greasy I thump down onto the next step...and the next one...and the next one...and the next one.  

Okay, that hurt.  I mean really really "fuck shit goddamn" that hurt.  All right, maybe it wasn't "oh, crap, I think it's broken" hurt.  For which I am beyond thankful.  But hurt enough that I've spent the day popping ibuprofen and cursing every time I have to crouch down or bend over or sit down or stand up. 

I'm lying in bed now.  Taking bets as to whether or not I'll be able to get out of it in the morning.  I'm betting no.  But I'll have to so I can get next door to give the cat his pill.  

Hear that, karma gods?