It's a matter of perspective ...

I almost feel conspicuous being able to walk around, looking like everyone else, no physical evidence of having been in an accident recently ... I almost feel guilty ...

I asked for advice about my accident on my running forum a few days back when I was still in the midst of my agony and my head was going to explode ... Nice to have the support - thank you kind people. Some incredible stories there. I even got e-mailed a link to a whiplash e-support group. People sure have it rough in the States with insurance and stuff like that. WOW. And though the damage to my car is pretty horrible, besides not dying, I am lucky that I did not break any bones, especially my neck!

I think my saving graces were:

• I knew there was nothing I could do to change hitting the truck and the guard-rail so I just gave in and let it happen (= not tensing up)
• Because of my IM training, I am in great shape, and my body is used to a fast recovery
• I am incredibly flexible naturally (double-jointed) and have a solid frame - I am sure the "average" individual would have strained, sprained or snapped something

So here I am again thanking my lucky stars ... again. Sometimes I feel like I cheated death, or cheated those who came out of accidents worse than I have. Some take months to recover, some still have pain after a few years. I'm hoping to start easing back into my daily training starting this week (don't worry, not at full capacity!) Perhaps I'm speaking prematurely and this headache will never subside completely and my back and neck have still to see even worse days, but I am crossing my fingers that this is the start of my return to true normalcy ...

I went swimming with the kiddies today, just a 35-min. dip in the pool. I did a whole bunch of laps. I feel like I've lost a lot of fitness, or perhaps I'm just a little tense and wary exercising again. M, a new friend who works the pool knew right away that something was off - she could see it in my face, so I told her my story, and then another M whom I haven't seen for a while jumped into the conversation as he passed by. He said I was lucky. My son Toulouse asked why I was lucky. I told him it was because I didn't die. He didn't understand the importance of my words, but that's alright. I never went into detail about my accident with the kids nor showed them any pictures. They just know I'm taking it a little easier because I hurt myself in a car accident and are excited about getting another car.

Another reason to thank my lucky stars ... my children were not with me when I crashed ...