When We Need A Helping Hand…

Don’t be afraid to ask!

On Saturday, Hubby and I spent time doing chores around the yard.  Our house is set down among some very steep hills. Mowing the lawn on the ride-on mower can be harry and nerve wracking in a few spots. At one point, I tackled a tough, steep portion of the yard that is bordered by huge rocks (probably put in by the previous owners for erosion control).  As luck would have it, the mower’s back wheel got stuck on a huge boulder.  In order to glide back down the hill, the wheel obviously needed to be freed. I turned off the mower and promptly began wrestling with that huge, heavy rock. The next things I knew I had freed to rock but found my leg pinned under the mower’s wheel.  I didn’t have the leverage to push the mower back up the steep hill and off my ankle without fear of the entire mower coming back and running over me.  Yes, I found myself now in quite a predicament.

My “I can do it” attitude had kept me from calling Hubby to come and help me. Sometimes we need help. We need to swallow that pride and ask for help. We need to accept help from those around us. I know those who care for us (family, friends and otherwise) enjoy helping and value being needed.

The story obviously has a happy ending (no broken bones!). I calmly called for the girls to go get Daddy (I didn’t want to scare them). He came and with that Herculean strength that comes with adrenaline picked up the entire back end of the mower and I safely slipped my leg/ankle out.  I was shaken up (and yes, cried) simply because I had put myself in an unsafe situation by not asking for help.  It embarrassed me that I hadn’t been a good role model to the kids.

We took that opportunity to go over with the kids what to do in an emergency — so I guess some good came out of it as well.

As long as I’m embarrassing myself publicly, I’ll also tell you about Friday. The kids are coming to the age that they need professional eye exams.  And since we were scheduling the kids, hubby and I also felt we should have exams. But — and here’s the embarrassing part — do you know when my last eye exam was?  Drum roll please… probably when I was about 10 or 12. My sister had the “bad eyes” and I just figured I didn’t need to see anyone because, well, I could more or less see well and passed all the basic tests. It turns out that I have (“wow–off the charts” said the eye doctor) astigmatism. I need bifocals!  So — if there’s a doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off for 25+ (or 10 or 2!) years — go do it!!

Have a good, safe weekend! 🙂

Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons: Lawn Mower and Glasses