The Unexpected

Then there was that time cleaning the kitchen tried to kill me.

Ok, maybe that is being a bit dramatic, but the whole ordeal was one of the more traumatic experiences of my life.

Ok, maybe that is a bit dramatic as well.  

It all started several weeks ago when I was “tidying up.” You know, KonMari style. Although it ended up being more like “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” style than anything else.  

I followed all the KonMari Method rules: I started with my clothes then kids’ clothes, then toys, then books, then bathrooms, then personal items, then pantry, then kitchen, then cleaning the oven.  Ok, cleaning the oven isn’t necessarily on the KonMari list, but I was on such a roll, why stop?

That’s when it happened.  I will tell you, the event itself really isn’t the moral of this story, in fact, it isn’t even the climax.  The real kicker here is what I learned from this one small freak accident.

So there I was, cleaning the oven.  No one else was home.  Usually our four-year-old is with me but he was next door playing with a friend.  I had gone over to get him when I was asked if he could play just 10 more minutes.  Sure. No problem.  That would give me just enough time to go home and wipe out the Easy-Off that had been sitting in the oven.  Then I could get him, take a shower, and be done in time for pickups.

The first lesson learned here is things never go as expected.  The second lesson is don’t stick your fingers in between the open oven door and the oven, even if all you want to do is clean out those pesky crumbs. I’m telling you, there’s something sharp down there and it could cut your finger!

I’ll spare you the gory details, but I was hurt, and alone, and had to quickly assess and get help.

I text my friend and neighbor, the one where our four-year-old was playing.  She rushed to my aid, grabbed my phone and purse, buckled up our kids, and whisked me off to the urgent care.  She got me in the door and then assured me she could handle getting my little one back home and my other little one from school in less than an hour.  My husband was on his way and she was off!

I got into the back, was waiting on the doctor, and I just lost it.  I panicked, I cried, and I just, generally speaking, freaked out.  I had never, ever, in my entire life needed stitches and that just really unnerved me.  I was cold and all sweaty, I was downing every teeny-tiny water bottle they would bring to me, and I was not entirely using my “inside voice.” 

I have been in urgent care and the emergency room lots of times, but always for my hubby or one of our kids.  I have been there for surgeries and stitches, x-rays and bandages, casts and crutches.  Just always for someone else.  And I am always the calm one.  I have funny jokes, soothing stories, words of encouragement, hugs and kisses.  But this time, when it was me, I didn’t want anyone to touch me or to talk to me.  And my idea of a joke was telling the nurse I wish I had come in drunk…but I was kind of joking/not joking!

Anyway, the doctor was great, the nurse was great, and my hubby by my side was great.  My neighbor friend actually wasn’t available to do pickups for me because she had to go to work, and she knew that when she dropped me off.  But she coordinated everything with one of our other friends and everyone was where they needed to be when they needed to be there.

The truth is, in all of this, I learned some really valuable lessons.  

—Like I said, you really never know what to expect will happen at any given moment.  It could be good or it could be bad.  Either way, you’re probably going to wish you had taken a shower already.

—You really shouldn’t put your hands anywhere where you can’t see.  I’m just saying.

—If you cannot remember your last tetanus shot, you should probably get one.  I had the chance to update mine a week before this little accident, but I didn’t.  I actually thought, “I wonder what I could do that would warrant me needing a tetanus shot.”  Don’t wonder, just get it.

—You really do not know how you will handle a situation until you are in it.  I really had no idea I would be borderline panic attack looking at my hurt little finger.  It made me wish I could have somehow been more compassionate at the bedside of other people.  I mean, I did the best I could, but I had no idea how much one accident could really freak someone out.

—It’s ok to ask for help, and to talk out of your head, and to tell the doctor and nurse you wish you had come in drunk.  I mean, in times of great stress, I just think these things are ok.

—Cleaning the oven is not part of the KonMari Method.  If you are taking “tidying up” to this level, you should stop…before you hurt yourself.

I have slowed down quite a bit since this incident.  Well, basically I had no choice given the limited use of my left hand since it donned those first sutures and was in recovery.  I am thankful the house was cleaned by the time I was hurt, I am thankful I have people around me to help me, and I am thankful I now have this experience that allows me to be more empathetic towards others.  Although, if you go in for urgent medical care anytime soon, my words of encouragement may be along the lines of “this is really going to hurt,” “you’re going to hate this,” or “oh, no!”  My wound is still fresh so you may not want me there for a while!