“Jim Class” is a feature that airs within The HomeFix Show. Writen by original charter show listener Jim Forrer from Caldwell Idaho, Jim shares his observations, life experiances, and lessons learned in life. Joe Prin reads these at various times in most of the HomeFix Shows. Here is the original written text.
A Pretzel’s Dignity
This happened only yesterday. Pat and I have a friend who has many physical and health problems. Pat checks on her daily and catches up on Miss K’s house work along with a couple of others doing the same. We had just gotten back from taking Miss K. to hospital for x-rays and consultation.
As soon as we got back, I let her the two dogs in from the fenced in back yard. Sadie is an older dog with a laid back easy manner, however Sam is a wild child. Sam, ‘Samantha’, is a two year old, part Pit and part Retriever and part I don’t know. The part I don’t know weights 100 pounds. Sam’s exuberance is such that she makes one laugh and or cry in frustration with her antics. She is definitely a high maintenance, energetic, sweet and boisterous dog. Sam is also an escape artist.
Dignity is a fleeting thing! As we were leaving, knowing of Sam’s abilities, I opened the screen door just enough to squeeze through sideways. But; Sam was lying in wait for her chance. She bolted between the door jamb and my left leg. I grabbed for her collar but missed. However, I grasped a hand full of hair and folds of skin just behind her collar. Her momentum propelled me out the door with such force that I went down in a micro second. When I was down, Sam slipped the surly bonds of my grip and took flight. My left foot was on the door’s apron, left knee on the second step, left hand on the sidewalk and my head in the grass. My right foot was still in the doorway and my right hand on the top step. My right hand was the only thing that kept me from performing a perfect summersault.
I froze in that twisted pretzel position for a long time while I assessed my situation. I thought to myself, “self this is not a recommended Yoga position.” I waited for the pain of broken bones or of possible head trauma. But wait, no pain, no hurt of any kind. It ended up with the only things broken was my Pride and Dignity.
Sam came back in ten minutes. No harm-no foul.