Everything can change in an instant

I was just starting up the first set of steps heading to the Faribault County Courthouse this morning, when somehow I didn’t get my foot on the bottom step and fell.

I don’t remember hitting my knees or shins, although surely I must have. I do remember pain in the knuckle of my left pinkie.

The strange thing is, in my memory, there seem to be several seconds after that — and then my forehead hit the edge of the concrete step.

I remember pain in my forehead, feeling strain in the sides of my head and some tension in my neck, seeing my knuckle skinned, and a man who was walking behind me asking if I was alright and helping me regain my feet.

I went to the ladies room, tried to apply a coldwater paper towel to the discolored goose egg on the left side of my forehead, put a bandage of my finger and downed some Tylenol. Then I went to cover the Commissioners’ meeting.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be alright, even though I’ve enlisted a couple of friends throughout the day to keep an eye on me.

The fall got me thinking about how fast things can change. You wake up one morning and everything’s fine. Then, before the morning’s half gone, your whole day turns upside down.

I had a simple fall, but it could just as easily been a car accident or medical emergency, with life-altering consequences.

You just never know.