redwood stories

hey there,

here's a tale for you. yesterday afternoon, i saved up all of my energy to go for a nice, long run in redwood park - a local favorite. i ran and ran, miles and miles. first up the ridge, then down, into the forest filled with tall trees and small animals. the whole time, i felt like i was flying.

i was running down a steep decline, when suddenly, my ankle turned in. i landed down on the outside of my foot, very very hard. realizing that i was hurt - moreso than other times when this has happened - i sat down, cursing it out and afraid. i hadn't seen people for a while, you see, and it was nearing 7 o'clock. the forest was getting slightly dim, and i was still about a mile from the edge.

just then, i heard voices. two men, running in the distance. i shouted, "hey, you guys! can you wait up for a minute?! i'm hurt!!" I stood up to walk over to them, but the pain and trauma was too much and i had to sit back on the trail once again.

the fellows were quite nice, assuring me that i would be just fine. they gave me a stick (well, actually it was half of a small redwood tree) and sent me on my way. as i hobbled along the trail, up and up, with the redwood as my crutch, all i could do was sing a song. "somewhere, over the rainbow there, she'll fly. yes, she'll fly..." to the reggae rhythms i went.

i made it out of the woods, just as it was getting dark, and walked to the car. i cried, drove home (with the bad foot), arrived, elevated, iced, etc. this morning i got x-rays, a cane, and a lace-up brace.

that's my story. although this is quite a pain in the...foot, i've already managed to swim this afternoon (shh, don't tell the doctor) and my spirits are somewhat high. i just can't believe the power of my body to get me out of that situation in such a composed manner. although we are only human, the spirit that we have is quite miraculous.

love, health, and music!
alis