I am going to tell a little story about my life. Some of you might be able to apply the principles to your life. (to skip the gory stuff and go straight to the principles, scroll till the bullet points).
This is a story about softball my reoccurring wound.
I started playing church league softball around the age of 14/15 years old. I had been coming with my dad for a few years and keeping the scores, etc. Most men play softball in shorts (because they don’t like to slide and no doubt get too hot in pants), and I was no different, except that I like to slide…a lot. I am always one for a full out stretched diving catch in the outfield. And it is far too natural for me to stretch a lazy single into a sliding double at second. Except, for some reason, it never became second nature to slide headfirst into 2nd base (which can I say is safer on the body and much cooler looking for the spectators). No I always slide with my right leg outstretched, spikes up (Ty Cobb Style), with my left leg folded under me.
This was never a problem in Babe Ruth (little league) because: 1. We always wore pants and high socks 2. The fields we were playing on were a nice dirt/clay mixture. This did however become a problem when I started playing church league softball where: 1. I only wore shorts and low socks, 2. The infield was make up primarily of what I can only think of as crushed limestone/gravel/asphalt/shards of broken glass.
Without exception, at least once a year, sometimes more I will get a giant “strawberry” up the outer shin on my left leg. The intensity of these minor wounds have gone from barely a scratch and healing within 2 weeks, to utter pain and wondering if my left would fall off. Up until this past Tuesday night (foreshadowing anyone) the worst one I received was during the summer of 2002. I gashed it up pretty bad. My leg was a mixture of dirt, sweat and blood. When I got home I showered and doused it in hot water and alcohol. I applied “teflon” bandages and some tape. At the time I worked installing above ground pools and worked long days. I’ll be honest, sometimes I wouldn’t shower for two days. By the time I got home to “redress” this would, it seemed that the teflon bandage and the seepage from my leg became “one.” My friend, David Edwards , can attest to this; I had to take my knife and literally cut the teflon bandage away from the skin that had started to regrow. It was intense. I had not really played church league softball since. Not because I didn’t want to, but because the opportunities weren’t there over the next several years. But this year I’m back. I’m not as fast as I once was. My hitting isn’t as consistent. But I learned very quickly on Tuesday night that my instinctive slide had not gone away. As I stretched a botched routine shallow fly ball into a triple (YEAH BABY!) I slide into third and popped up with ease. Hearing the “safe” call I looked down to see the picture above. And for those of you who think I would get some loving sympathy from Katie on this one…well you don’t know my wife. One of her hidden rules (i’m learning) is that one is not allowed sympathy for willfully inflicting pain on themselves time and time again.
(that is the end of the gross out part) Now for the principles I learned:
- Repeating the same “wound inflicting” action over and over has led to a scarred portion of my body
- The pain of each wound is as intense, but I have grown accustomed to and can “handle” it.
- It’s tough to sleep at night with the constant nagging pain
- It’s tough to walk around because I’m thinking I or someone else will bump into my wound (covered up by pants) sending me a sharp pain throughout my body and making me flip out on the person for having dared “TOUCH MY WOUND” (which they could not see)
- I chose to play the game, I chose how to play the game, and I need to live with the outcome.
- I’ve learned how to better care for my wounds since they happened. I used to treat them off of my instincts and what I had heard from others experiences. Hot water, alcohol, pat dry, neosporin, bandage. In reality it is completely different (after getting numerous advice from ER nurses and doctors for other “sports” wounds requiring stitches). Warm soapy water, rinse clean, pat dry, AIR it out, after dry neosporin and if bandaging change once or twice a day.
What does this all mean? We all have given and received many wounds in our life. Some accidental, some not; some were a once off thing, some probably reoccurring. Most people know how to handle getting hurt (physically, emotionally, mentally). There are quite a few that do not. Some people blame others when the responsibility is actually theirs. Some blame themselves when they were in fact the victims. Others like to pick at their wounds, expose it for the world to see. They don’t actually want healing, they just want the sympathy that comes with being “injured.” These people are extremely frustrating, because the rest of the world says logically “Get some help and get on with your life.” But those people can’t. They want the sympathy of being wounded. And unfortunately, after their wounds turn into scars and the sympathy runs out…they will find another way to be wounded again.
I know people have been through some real situations. They’ve looked down at their lives and seen a bloody, muddy, violent mess. I do not want to take away from the pain and wound that has been caused. But I also know that it does no good just to stay wounded.
Mark Dupuis Said:
on July 16, 2010 at 9:54 am
I really enjoy your writing. The fact that you sneak good content in there is a great bonus. Keep up the good work and bring the short pants and long socks back to baseball.
Denise Casey Said:
on July 16, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Awesome story. I could almost feel your pain. I have dressed a lot of real wounds in my time with the things that we have been through in our lifetime with my husbands leg amputation, and stomach wounds. It is so very true about life also. It shows great parallels with real life, and what people put themselves through. I think that the picture said more than a thousand words, and the words were written very well also. Thanks for helping others heal.