"When did I get old?" I silently ask myself as lie motionless in my hospital room.
"My generation created the skateboard!"
It seems like only yesterday I was flying off stairs, park benches and anything else we could ride on. But yesterday one simple stunt for my kids put me in the hospital.
"I'm forty years old" I say through clinched teeth. "I'm old." I never thought I would get too old to do "Stuff."
My dad used to say all the time "I'm too old for that kind of thing" but I never thought I would get to old for those kinds of things.
"THIS SUCKS!" I yell out loud, too loud I guess, because my nurse is knocking on the door.
"Is everything alright?" she asks.
"NO" I answer, "I'm old and I can't do the things I want to do anymore."
"It happens to all of us" she replies and smiles an understanding smile. "I'll be right outside if you need me" she says as she closes the door.
This morning I tried to show my kid a few moves on the skateboard he got for Christmas. What I actually did though, was bust my butt. I broke my femur and both wrists.
Twelve hours later I'm lying in a bed on the ortho floor. Now I'm helpless. I can't even wipe my own butt.
I hear a knock on the door and my nurse pokes her head in.
"You O.K.?" she asks.
"Yea" I reply, "Sorry about before, I was a little upset."
"I understand" she says "it's hard to accept limits sometimes."
"My name is Sam" she says, as she sits down on the side of my bed.
"In high school I was the guy that could do anything, and I always got the girl" I said with a wink.
My nurse, who is probably 15 years younger then me, giggles a little and then touch's my hand.
"You're not going to get anything with these arms" she says.
"I know" I humbly reply "No sex with a broken leg, and with two broken wrist's I can't even jerk off."
"Maybe I can help with that" she says as she makes her way to the door. "You get some rest and don't worry. I'll take care of you" and she walks out of my room.
Get some rest, yeah right. I closed my eyes but my mind never slowed down. What did she mean when she said "I'll take care of you?"