Comments on: The Fragile Skull: After Midnight Blogger

By: river

river — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:33:50 +0000

Dr. E. . .i really like Linda Hogan's writing. . .but did not know of her accident with the horse. . .that does give me pause to think about helmets even truer. . .checked and found that Linda Hogan has a memoir out sense the accident and that will be my next read. . .Thanks. . .

By: archangel

archangel — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:39:14 +0000

Dear Spirasol. You're a brave soul for having ridden in NY city and surrounds. I'm glad you made it. That's a tight weaving to ride through. Out here in Indian country, often there are many trucks and pickups, but esp on and near the rezs, drivers often just sort of weave their own road, including into the weeds and up and down the sand hills that have no road laid. lol.

dr.e

By: archangel

archangel — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:33:58 +0000

dear river, I know what you mean I think. I agree with the Yet. yet yet. One of my friends whose work I think you'd love if you dont already know it, Linda Hogan, the Chicksaw poet, went to buy a horse...it's been surely ten years ago now. The owner did not tell her the horse had thrown riders. Linda mounted with no protection and was thrown hard, suffering a devastating and lasting closed head injury. People live with her now, help her, Brenda Peterson the writer has done several books with Linda since then, helping to tease out the words. I dont know about a lot of things. But in a way, barring twists of fate, I do know that most of us were never taught to protect the vault that carries 'the gift of communicating the gift.' When you think about the delicacy of it all, you just wonder whether we have 'our heads on backward' to begin with in terms of not better teaching about self-care. Those wild humans lol... bit even animals have certain cautions.

and you hit it: the unimpeded movement through air: soul.

dr.e

By: river

river — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:37:29 +0000

I truly have a split brain on this one. . .just from experience in training colts, regular cycling, and skiing where helmets are pushed more all the time. . .One brain says it is insane to not wear helmet, so many stories where helmet meant life without severe brain injury. . .

Yet. . . Yet to feel the air on the face, the hair flying, the fullness of contact without constraint, is to fly into an experience of something so deep in the soul it lingers as a reminder of freedom a sensory that breathes keep going. . . We need those moments too. . .Ahh. . . sigh. . .

But Dr. E. i am so happy and grateful you had a good helmet on that day. . . the danger on motor cycles is great. . .and so wished Natasha Richardson had been wearing a helmet this last week with skiing. . .

Yes and yet. . .no and but. . .

On a lighter note. . .i would highly recommend that if anyone insists on butting heads with a goat while both the goat and one are running full speed, the a helmet is a must. . . i received a knockout blow at about four years old for that one, when i came to and sat up i pass our again. . and never had any desire to try it again. . .with or without a helmet. . .

By: spirasol

spirasol — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:02:44 +0000

I used to ride though I never got bigger than a 450 Suzuki……….so I don't know the comfort of a big bike, the way I imagine it better hugs the road and the muffled low end sound. I never really dumped in over 3 years of riding, but there were close calls where my heart crept up into my throat and wouldn't leave for a while. I used to ride between the ribbons of traffic down the FDR in NYC with just inches separating you from the cars on either side. I'll never forget riding in the rain, leaning my chin into my chest to create a mini visor for my non-visored helmet. It's amazing how much more you are exposed out there, but also that much more aware. Something made me give it up though, perhaps one close call too many. In NY it is law, so other than helmet-less short rides down country roads, the old helmet was always on.

By: archangel

archangel — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:18:56 +0000

Thanks Dave, that's a unique and valuable set of observations about the differences in human beings, and interesting to consider those whose work required them to thin down and buff up, depending on the role... very interesting observation about body padding, bone thickness, weight bearing frames. And sudden twists of fate.

If you ride Dave, like I say to all my friends who ride: Go fast, be safe, man.

dr.e

By: Dave_Schuler

Dave_Schuler — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:21:59 +0000

Not only is life fragile but you can't judge what your body can withstand based on what other people's bodies can. The abilities of muscle and bone differ. My bones may be thicker. Your muscles may be more trained. A fall that you can take might kill me.

Nowadays actors and actresses, particularly motion picture actors and actresses, tend to be extremely gracile, attenuated, outside the norm. That comes as part of a package of characteristics of bone, muscle, ligaments, digestion, and so on. Would Christopher Reeve have broken his neck if he'd been stockier? There's no way to know.

Certainly terribly sad for the families. And in a different way for those of us who've loved their performances over the years.