Strawberry Fields
Today, I lost my front wheel on a very slick sidewalk. Maybe it was subliminal?… I was, after all, humming Strawberry Fields Forever… Let me take you down… and now I have a great big strawberry on my left hip.
At some point you’re gonna take a tumble, whether it’s riding bikes or falling in love. How you handle the wound makes all the difference in recovery speed. Don’t let it scab, keep it moist and heal from the inside out.
Here’s what I do:
- If at all possible, keep riding… mainly because that is what tough guys do and I like to practice my tough guy skills in case I need them.
- Get home, strip down, get in the shower, soap up the loofa and scrub all the dirt away.
- Air dry the road rash.
- Put on too much Neosporin – you can’t put on enough, trust me.
- Cover with giant band aid.
- Go to work and hope it doesn’t leak.
- If you can, add more ointment during the day so it doesn’t scab – I blew this today.
If a scab forms you will lose movement because the scab isn’t flexible.
This will hurt like a son-of-a-biscuit sooner than you think. You will ride anyway, because of step #1 and the scab will crack and bleed and that’s just a drag. But, if it happens just pour on more ointment than you think you need and let it soften up the scab.
As the wound starts to heal you can de-breed it carefully. All the while, you should be able to ride and enjoy life.
Keep the rubber side down!
