The guide to falling- how I learned to fall 31,000 times and counting!

Everyone has fallen at least a few times in their life. I have fallen a few times daily ever since I learned to stand! That was 17 years ago. Now I am 20.  

I was born with cerebral palsy. I walk with a peculiar limp. My hips and knees are unstable from not being built to walk. Walking is something that I tackled with enormous effort. Since I mastered falling, I can walk with peace of mind. My figure is tiny, which helps. I use forearm crutches to ease discomfort and to keep balance. They help me walk and not fall as often, even though I dislike using them. 

Seeing me fall is fascinating. I lose my balance, which I do every twenty seconds. I struggle to neutralize it by leaning in the opposite direction. When I cannot stay on my feet, due to fatigue, I end up going to the ground. I set my feet so they do not become twisted, and to slow my body as it comes tumbling to the earth. My hands will gradually discover the ground. My hands and knees skid across the surface, making cuts in my palms. I shut my eyes and feel my body twist in the air. Suddenly, I am on the ground. Ta-da, I have successfully fallen! 

When I was younger, after a fall, I leaped right back to my toes. People who were around me often did not even acknowledge I fell; I was up swiftly. Now, I am not as flexible; so I stay on the ground for a moment, to avoid headaches or falling a second time. I work myself back up to my feet and return to my life as normal. Ta-da, I am on my feet!  

The process takes between 30 seconds and five minutes. 

The routine is exhausting. Miraculously, I have never fallen in a manner where I have broken a bone, gone to the emergency room, or needed stitches! I learned how to fall with such ease and grace that I seldom get hurt. Mathematically, if I fell 5 times a day for 17 years, that means I have fallen over 31,000 times without getting seriously injured.   

Some falls stick out to me. I tumbled down half a flight of steps; it was 2nd grade. Walking down the steps with my grandma to go to an after-school program, she made me giggle. I fell. It was terrifying. The school secretary heard my cry and flew down the steps to clean me up as she did often.  I was fine. I also remember landing in several trash cans, into shelves, knocking everything over, off a horse, hitting my head, and falling into people.  All of the instances happen more than I care to recall. 

People’s reactions to me stumbling are fascinating. The automatic grabs of people who are caring, the nerves of the first time that someone watches me go down, and the slight notice of people who accepted me for years. Doctors and therapists’ jaws have dropped when they see me and inquire, “How are you walking?” 

I have heard and watched this behavior all my life and recognize that people do not know life “on the ground”. That is ok! Most people in my town watched me grow and will lend a helping hand. One day, I was walking home, when my legs gave out from under me. I hit a patch of gravel with my feet, and they slipped. I could not catch myself with my crutches. My body subconsciously leaned forward and fell on my hands, scraping them. Two strangers came to make sure I was ok, and a friend saw me and picked me up, and gave me a ride home. I am especially thankful for people in the community who watch out for one another. 

It does not matter how regularly you have fallen as long as you get up one more time. Even though I fell 31,000 times, I got up 31,001 times, and that is what counts. Never take your body for granted, even if it does not get you from point A to B in the manner you hoped. I am incredibly grateful to walk, fall, get up, and repeat day after day!