Body and Ego: Bruised

It doesn't look that bad, but it sure stings like crazy.  I have matching ones on my knee and ankle, too.
How does one get such lovely scrapes?  By falling on the concrete...in front of the elementary school during pick up time, of course!

Lest people think all I blog about are recipes, cute kids, fabulous trips, spiritual growth, and fun times, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that I am not leading a perfectly charmed life, and sometimes I totally nose dive.  Literally.

Picture it.  Dozens of people standing around waiting to pick up their kids.  I had been inside helping a teacher, so I grabbed the kids and headed out slightly before the bell.  We were walking quickly trying to get to the van before the big rush hit when suddenly my shoe caught the edge of the uneven sidewalk hard.  Because I was falling in slow motion, I had plenty of time to think "oh noooooooo!" as I tried in vain to correct my balance.  It gets worse.  I happen to be wearing a short flouncy skirt...perfect falling attire, right?  Nothing to protect my legs, and a high likelihood of flashing the other parents.

My left hand scraped the sidewalk hard, along with my right knee and left ankle.  I immediately garnered the sympathy and pity of several nearby moms who were quick to offer help in getting off the ground and tissues to stop the bleeding.

I had to get up, continue walking, and shake it off.  Let me tell you, that's not an easy accomplishment after falling so hard in front of so many people.  Talk about a nice healthy dose of utter embarrassment.

And now I would like to introduce the culprit:

I just got these new shoes a few weeks ago and they are taller than any I have ever owned.  They are so beautiful and go with almost everything in my closet, but they are dang hard to walk in apparently.  They also shift my center of gravity way out of whack which is probably the reason I couldn't stop my fall today.  Ah, how I suffer for fashion.