Reflections on a broken wrist

 

Salam alaykum

First of all, it has been an absolute pain in the hole.

January 30th. 2023

Tired and emotional and delirious, I stumbled in a night-time street and managed to break my right wrist trying to break my fall. Ambulance, A&E, the whole deal. SCL Jim was with me. Carrom OG, that lad. Stuck around in the hospital waiting area with me till dawn.

It can be very dull in the small hours waiting area. Jim cites that (painkillered up) I wandered off to look at a vending machine's wares, studied it for 3 minutes, returned to my chair and began a conversaton with him, like this:

"Y remember that Sunday night you visited, we was playing a lot of Ethiopian jazz that night?"

"You'll need to narrow it down."

"Jim. D y know how much they are charging for a Twix outa that machine?"

"Do y want another co-codomol?"

What does this teach us? 

Don't walk backwards when emotional. Also, I identify as right-handed but having that injury encouraged me to explore myself. To seek out my inner left hand carrom. Sometimes it is right to be left and for the right to let left right itself. And just because you are pining for the game you take for granted, don't - as I did - assume you must have Carromavirus. Improvise, adapt and flow.

The game against Paul McCole at Linen

Still in a cast on my dominant wrist, I went to Linen for a meet. The power of the board compelled me. It had been weeks, but hints were that to climb to the mezzanine would lift not only my spirits but also the hearts and morale of the comrades. And so it was. Their wee faces were lovely.

My left-handed shots saw but narrow defeats v John and v James. Then I beat Paul McCole, my nemesis. Paul was maybe taking it easy with the invalid. Paul is a gentleman and a baller and more easily distracted than you'd think when you look at him. How did it feel to be carried shoulder high after that win, from Shawlands Cross to Govanhill?  Cheaper than a taxi and with much better patter. Great fun too to have the passing car drivers toot their horns.

Jim's left hand
An unexpected consequence of my accident is that it improved Jim's carrom game. Having kindly played left-handed v me a few times at my venue/board, he now is ambidextrous and half octopuss. 

Carrom is amazing. Consider: even the lame gant for gameplay, even the broken are bursting for a board. Carrom is the siren who calls to sailors.