Satish C. Bhatnagar, Panchkula : I fondly looked at the parallel bars used for gymnastics, and in the next minute, jumped up to balance myself on them. In a split second, before the balance, my body weight shifted to the right and I heard a crunching sound inside my right shoulder. For a while, I stood there puzzled and in pain. This mishap happened three days ago.
It was about 7 PM. There were lots of people as it happened inside a beautiful neighborhood park. But I felt lonely due to this injury that I seem to have invited on myself. I continued on my walk for 12-15 minutes while assessing the magnitude of this unwarranted injury. I was worried about this injury spoiling my 6-week trip to India.
After returning to the home of my brother-in-law, I applied an ice pad around the right shoulder and triceps areas. There was no noticeable swelling and no pain in the shoulder when I moved it vertically up and down and rotated it in both directions. I felt good as I was sure of no bone fracture. Before going to bed, I popped in an anti-inflammation pill and sipped a cup of warm milk with a pinch of turmeric, a home remedy that has worked on me as long as I can remember. There was no pain in my sleeping postures.
In order to rule out any bone fracture and torn ligament, I saw an orthopedic physician the very next morning. The patient experience of a hospital (Alchemist) in Panchkula is to be left for another reflection. After examining various motions of my hand, the physician, without going for any X-ray, confidently ruled out any fracture. Yet, Before walking out of his office, I double checked on the need for an X-ray. He simply prescribed a 10-day course of one pill a day and suggested me to go easy on the shoulder for fifteen days.
For years, I have played on parallel bars where I literally beat everyone when it came to doing swinging push-ups and jump-and-catch game on those bars. Ironically, only three days earlier, I had balanced myself on the same parallel bars, but from the other side. On checking them out today, I noticed that the bars were only 4” lower than my shoulders, and the ground at this end was very uneven. My shoulders are reasonably strong as I still enjoy bench pressing five days a week. In fact, I call it as meditative bench pressing – my naming innovation!
A kind of philosophizing the entire episode, on the one hand, I may have invited this trouble, as I tend to bring hazards in my life subconsciously. I will complete 80 years in December. Yes, slowing down is the nature of a body – be it that of a human being, animal, bird and plant. However, one does have some control over its rate of change.
Well, I have decided to ‘hang up my gloves’ on the parallel bars. So many memories associated with them will remain with me nevertheless. The real thing is my impulsive nature. On the up side, it keeps my body and mind sharp; but, on the down side, it lands me in unforeseen troubles. An inner voice often tells me that there is only one life – drink it to the last drop, and so on. In weaker moments, we seem to have a control over our lives, but in challenging hours, we surrender ourselves to His Will, which is nothing but our projection or the Limit of our potentialities!
Having written out such a reflection prompts me to say – hail thee injury. I am trying to see a positive side of this accident!
Satish C. Bhatnagar, PhD
Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences,
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
Author of the following books (Available at Amazon):
- Vectors in History: Main Foci; India and USA, Volume I
- Epsilons and Deltas of Life: Everyday Stories, Volume I
- My Hindu Faith & Periscope, Volume I
- Swami Deekshanand Saraswati: My Swami Mama Ji
- Darts on History of Mathematics,Volume I
- Converging Matherticles: Mathematical Reflections, Volume II
- Plums, Peaches and Pears of Education, Volume I
- Via Bhatinda: A Braid of Reflected Memoirs, Volume II