I fell down at work yesterday. If it had happened anywhere else, I’m sure I would have just slapped a bandaid on it and soldiered on (despite my poor, torn pants that I love). However, I guess they are so afraid of liability (plus a lot of people around there would totally take advantage of the ability to get comp days) that they insisted I go home, see a doctor, and take the next day (today) off. It’s mainly an abrasion bruise, and looks much less impressive now that I’ve changed the wrap-around, war-injury-like gauze bandage for a plain old bandaid, but that’s okay. I have some soreness from the impact (I braced myself, landing on my left hand, which sort of sent a shockwave up my arm and back)…but it’s nothing compared to other spills I’ve taken in my life. I’ll be back at work on Monday. In the meantime, I can’t honestly say I’m sorry to be home in my pajamas while everyone else had to trek through the snow/rain/sleet to get to a boring security meeting that will last all morning!
What’s really ridiculous is what I was doing when the accident happened. I was arriving at work, and carrying an armload of homemade corn muffins (dyed green with food coloring for St. Patrick’s Day) for a staff breakfast. Talking with a female coworker, we spotted a male coworker of ours coming across the parking lot…in a tank top. It’s been warm in NY this week, but not quite tank top weather…more importantly, this guy is kind of a hot-shot. He’s extremely intelligent, but also good-looking, and he’s totally aware of it. He’s very flirtatious (though married) and athletically competitive too. Let’s just say that in addition to the coldness of the air, this particular tank top was a bit silly-looking and not very flattering. So when I tripped over the saddle of the door leading into the first security checkpoint, I was actually about to start making fun of him.
Slightly embarassed at my own clumsiness, I nevertheless got right back up again (perhaps because of the adrenaline rush, I didn’t notice my torn pants and bleeding knee until a bit later), and said, "[name of guy], you’re just ASKING for sexual harassment!" Sheepishly covering his chest with his arms, he explained that he had not actually left his house that way. Apparently he spilled something all over his shirt in the car, but it must have been really major if he’d rather come into work wearing something guaranteed to get comic value at his expense…
Was the trip and fall incident a bit of karmic intervention, a small slap on the proverbial wrist for mocking someone in his minor misfortune? Who knows. I also later sat on a cup of coffee, but fortunately it just spilled on the table and floor, not on me (and it was cold). Well, fortunately for me, I should say. All day long, I was waiting for something else to happen, since they say bad things come in threes, but aside from sitting in the doctor’s office (hoping not to catch anything icky from other patients) for two hours, nothing else followed.
Incidentally, I saved the muffins from an untimely demise, and managed to get them to the staff breakfast unscathed. I know you were all worried about that. 
