The life of my family has been a little less than traditional and has in some ways resembled the life of a gypsy. The longest I have ever lived anywhere was for six years in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. So, when asked about my childhood home that is where my mind immediately flashes back. I have a pool of memories from that house, but there is one memory that has remained as vivid as the day it happened.
My sisters and I were always outside as children. I can hardly even recall any important events of my childhood ever happening indoors. One day, my sisters (Ani and Alissa) and I were playing outside as usual. My dad had set up our new trampoline just a few days before and we happened to have a gigantic blow up ball just hanging out in our garage, I am talking about the size of Jupiter kind of gigantic. For three, young adventurous girls these two objects just begged to be put together for some unforgettable fun. Well, it was unforgettable all right and fun for a while at least.
The plan was simple enough; jump from the trampoline, onto the ball, which we would then bounce off of onto the ground. Ani, being the oldest and consequently the bossiest, went first of course. Alissa and I followed closely behind. We each had taken multiple turns and were having a blast. Ani was up again. She took her normal triple jumps on the trampoline before making her graceful leap to the big ball. Every trampoline owner can testify to the many dangers the springs (or as I like to call them the Devil’s spirals) on the trampoline pose, and can most likely recall at least one occurrence of slipping through the springs and getting that mini heart attack. Ani was the perfect example of one of these dangers that day.
As she was making her leap from the trampoline to the ball, Ani’s foot got caught in between two of those pesky springs. This incident caused her to fall forward, push the ball of away from her, and fall brutally to the ground with a blood-curdling scream. You know how people say your life flashes before your eyes in a near death experience? Well Ani’s life flashed before mine; like the time she was babysitting and made me kiss her feet to get out of my own room, or when we joined gymnastics together and swore to become Olympic gold medalists. Luckily, her elbow broke her fall, but that scream carried to someone else’s ears as well.
My mother had been on the back porch watering her plants when she heard Ani’s scream. She immediately dropped the pitcher of water she was holding and made her way to the front yard. The sight of my sister’s elbow being disconnected from the rest of her arm was too much for her to handle. My mother, being the ever so calm woman that she is, made the wise decision to sprint around the entire house twice screaming, trying to collect her thoughts. All the while Ani is screaming for someone to call an ambulance because she is dying and Alissa and I simply stand over her with our jaws to the ground. My father was at work, so it was extremely comforting when the neighbor heard my mother’s panicked screams and came to help. He convinced my mother that the first thing she should do is get Ani to the hospital, and even helped to get her into the car. We later found out that she had dislocated her elbow but would in fact live. I learned something very important from my mother that day.
I learned to always remain calm. I realized how important it is to be able to think rationally under pressure and that it is ok to do something crazy like running around the house, if that is what it takes for you to be able to focus. Although I cannot say that I have or ever will take the steps my mother did to get to a point where she could handle the situation, I have jumped up and down or pinched myself to help me focus. I love my crazy, unconventional family and the lessons I learn from them. This day will always be one of my scariest and yet fondest memories.
beautiful :')
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