A Holiday gift in the form of a life lesson - lucky you!

As some of you (particularly Eastern Market swimmers and anyone who attended Bowdoin’s graduation last year) might know, I managed to turn lap swimming into a contact sport and wound up with a sweet black eye. As it turns out, I can also turn running into a contact sport. Let me preface this story by saying I am totally fine, just sporting a few large scrapes and bruises. Now for story time.

Since the pool is closed for the winter, I have resorted to running laps on the road that circles our apartment complex because a) there is very little traffic and b) by now everyone in the neighborhood knows there are white kids living in 155 and one of them is prone to jogging (or yogging, as some would call it) so they don’t stare at me as I huff and puff and generally struggle along. So yesterday morning I have the ipod on, am totally in my zone strutting along, when it occurs to me that it is almost New Years, and thus I should take some time to reflect on the last year. Just as I’m thinking to myself “what are the major events that have happened over the last year?” BAM! A guy on a motorcycle literally drives straight into my back, sending me flying forward sprawled out face first on the pavement. Even as I was flying through the air all I could think of was the irony. Once I realized nothing hurt too badly, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing as I was sprawled out, and of course the guy who hit me doesn’t speak English so he’s now thinking I’ve hit my head and gone insane. Luckily I was totally fine and he apologized profusely and bent down to kiss my leg where I was bleeding, at which point I hightailed it back home…

I’ve decided that given the completely classic timing of the event it is clearly a sign, and thus I’ve decided my lesson of ’09 is that sometimes life throws an Indian man on a motorcycle at your back and before you know it you’re face first on the asphalt thinking maybe you should just lay there for a while. But, if you can find a way to laugh about it and get some motivation to pick those pebbles out of your forehead, you’re that much stronger for it and you’ve got a story to share with your friends. So there you have it folks…your knowledge bomb of the day.

Sadly, other than taking a national holiday so that they can get the day off of work India does not deck the halls, so this year has been sorely lacking for me in Christmas spirit. Mom and Dad did come through with a sweet box o’ gifts, which I’ve been working my way through while playing Christmas music, so at least that’s something. Plus, to add to our house’s holiday spirit, Jack’s parents send him Hanukah in a box, which managed to arrive the day after Hanukkah. Luckily for Jack, for honorary Jews such as myself, the 9^th night of Hanukkah is really what we do best. Our bosses also got a touch of the holiday spirit and gave us a week off, and it’s a little known fact that when Santa can’t have eggnog he prefers a pina colada, so in his honor I’m heading to Sri Lanka tomorrow for some serious beach time.

Merry Christmas to everyone out there and I'll see you in 2010!