Relive your childhood: Crash your cycle today!

I've fallen twice in the past two days. Physically that is, not metaphorically. At this age you don't really expect to fall that often. You're hardly a kid anymore, and you've reached an agreement with Gravity. And of course, you don't do the foolhardy things you used to do as a kid. You're more careful. Right?

Executing flash U-turns can be hazardous to your health. I was careful to observe nobody on the road who'd interfere with my turn, but not careful (or experienced?) enough to execute that tight U-turn. End result? Handle-bars locked up and in a short few seconds later, I was on the ground. A few skid marks on the elbow and some cuts on the hand. Neither me, nor the cycle or me were much hurt. Was kinda nostalgic even.

The second was sheer stupidity. Really. Annoyed at cars hogging the roads, I decided to go off-road, and made for the pavement. It's a maneuver I've routinely executed. Except that it was night, I picked the wrong spot for climbing up the pavement, and I wasn't moving slowly. Instead of rolling onto the pavement, however roughly, my cycle just hit it on the side and stopped. I didn't stop, of course. Damn Newton! I found myself propelled clear a few feet into a thick carpet of dried Silver Oak leaves (among others). Hit the ground on the side, and definitely rolled over once. Recovery was very quick, and though the bystanders were a bit shocked, I had left the scene in a few minutes. Removing the leaves from my shirt, bag and hair took longer.

Couple of things made these two falls very different. I was "conscious" throughout the fall. Meaning I could feel/see myself flying, crashing, rolling, etc. Secondly, though the second fall was rough (and has resulted in some nasty bruising), there was none of the involuntary twitching that happens after a rough fall. A momentary twitch maybe, but none of the length that I remember from childhood. And through both falls, one thing was uppermost in my mind.

Bonszai. Riding with me in the bag on my back. Must've looked weird as I struggled to my feet, and opened my bag to check its contents. Thanks to the good Wildcraft bag, and perhaps just sheer luck, it survived both crashes. Whew!