A Blow to the Head

With thanks to Gary at Forest Wisdom

Today I bumped my head on the low ceiling in the storeroom at the school I work in. My first thought was that it felt a pretty hard hit and that there would be blood, but I didn’t feel anything running down my forehead. I stood a little dazed for a few moments before putting my fingers onto my scalp, and when I looked at them they were covered in blood.

As I couldn’t look at the wound myself, I stepped out into the corridor and my wife was stood outside as she was looking for me (she works in the same school). The look on her face was a picture as blood began flowing down my face and dripping onto the floor below! Soon, students and other teachers were gathered around me expressing concern or giving advice. The best immediate advice was to sit down, which I duly did, wary of falling over as I was feeling somewhat dizzy. My wife and another teacher at the school got me into our car and we sped off to the hospital.

Once we arrived in the accident and emergency department, I was told to lie down and a nurse examined me before cleaning the wound sight and shaving a small are of hair off ready for stitching. Rather than associating with any feelings that were arising, which were a mixture of almost manic humour and a slight embarrassment, I rested in the awareness, watching people come and go in my field of vision. It was actually quite a peaceful experience!

The doctor came eventually and injected an anaesthetic into my head before stitching up the wound. He told me that this would hurt somewhat, which it did, so again I associated with the space in which the unpleasant sensations were occurring, rather than the sensations themselves. Before I knew it, the procedure had been completed and I was told I could go. (As it turned out, the doctor was the father of a pupil that had given all the English department teachers Xmas presents today, so at least I had a chance to thank him in person!

As I waited for my wife to sort the payment details - I was covered by medical insurance so we didn’t have to pay as such - I sat and chatted with an attractive receptionist and a pretty nurse. When I joined the missus to sign a document at the desk, she remarked that if I wasn’t careful I’d receive another heavy blow to the head! (I think she was joking!)

The interesting thing was that throughout the experience my mind seemed to go into quiet mode, and rest in the position of observer rather than participant. This gave a calm spaciousness for events to occur in, and I was able to crack a few jokes to reassure those around me that I was okay. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who helped me today and are reading this blog – you were great.

It’s funny, really; I’ve only been working in the school for a couple of months or so, but today I was temporarily promoted to the position of ‘head teacher’!