Black, you are my enemy

I should have stayed home last night. I was writing some thank you cards early in the evening when Luke Warm called and asked if I was coming over to watch the Celtics game. I told him I would after I took care of some things, chief among them calling Kreg back, because I wasn't around when he called earlier. Luke told me Kreg would be stopping by his place during the game, but I decided to call him anyway. We had a brief conversation and I told him we'd talk more when I saw him later on.

After wrapping up the thank you card business, I debated over whether I should walk or drive to Luke's place. I decided I would brave the elements and walk. Ordinarily, I would drive, but because I'd missed some workouts this week, I felt the exercise would do me good.

Besides the coat, which wasn't on the thick side, I had on jeans and two long sleeved shirts. No gloves. No hat. I didn't bother bundling up too much because I'd taken a walk earlier wearing the same clothing and I didn't suffer much for it. I took into consideration that it would be colder when the Sun went down, but figured because I'd be walking swiftly, I wouldn't feel the difference.

Most of the walk wasn't that bad, but by the time I arrived at Luke's, I was chilled to the bone. Well, at least I wouldn't have to go through that again, or so I thought. Right away, Luke informed me that Kreg wasn't coming over. Ok, not so bad; it wouldn't be a stroll through the park, but I'd manage the walk home. Kreg not coming over was the first piece of bad news; the second was that Tony Allen, one of the best players on the Celtics, ruined his knee not five minutes after my arrival, and thus put his season, and possibly his career in jeopardy.

He had just been fouled and the ref blew his whistle, but like a lot of players do, he continued on with the play and went up for a dunk. On his way down, he landed on his leg in a way that was painful to watch, and after writhing in pain for a few minutes,the end result was he had to be carried off the floor. It was obvious the injury was serious, and my heart went out to him.

What a stroke of bad luck! Multiple factors made this one of the most unfortunate and ill-timed injuries I've seen in a long time. Tony Allen had just been playing the best basketball of his life. He had turned around a poor start to his season by filling the gap left by the injured Paul Pierce with some magnificent play. He was at his peak when the injury sidelined him. It gets worse.

Tony was finally feeling whole again from a knee injury he had suffered a year ago. He's a young player; this is his only his third year in the league, but that first knee injury kept him away from the game for a long stretch of time and took away the momentum he'd built up. And to add to his problems, he was facing jail time due to his supposed involvement in a brawl outside a club.

And to literally add insult to injury, his eighty year old grandmother had come into to town with his mother so she could see him play. I read today that she went to see him in the hospital and consoled him as he cried in her arms. Oh yeah, and today is his birthday. To state the obvious, I'm sure it won't go down as one of his better ones.

Most of the Celtics are now injured. No one can remember a season as injury-prone as this one. These are dark days for the team and for the fans. And since I consider myself a fan, I wasn't thrilled as I watched the season go down the tubes, mere seconds after hearing my ride wouldn't be making the trip to Luke's house. If Luke had a car, I would have asked him for a ride.

After the game, I said goodbye to Luke and once again braced myself to face the elements. Luke offered his couch if I wanted to stay the night, but I declined. I'd bear the cold. How bad could it be?

About two minutes into my walk, I realized it was noticeably colder than it had been two hours earlier, but it still wasn't that bad, only a touch uncomfortable. My exposed head suffered the most. Strangely, my eyes began to feel like they were swollen and I struggled to keep them open. Still, though, I was doing alright.

Five minutes into the walk I decided I should step inside the convenience store that was a quarter of a mile down the street so I could warm up a bit. It occurred to me that it was the first time in my life that I found myself cold enough that I needed ---not desired--- to get indoors. By the time I arrived at the store and saw that it was closed, I realized I could be in some trouble if I didn't get home soon. I was half way there.

From then on, the walk became decidedly unmanageable, and I started looking around for any place I could seek shelter. There were none. My legs began shaking so badly, I could barely keep my balance. Breathing became a chore. I couldn't believe what was happening. A simple fifteen minute walk should not have found me in this state. It would have been comical if it wasn't so frightening.

I felt like I was beginning to lose consciousness and that's when panic set in. I pulled out my phone and thought about calling Spira so she could come and get me. She was probably asleep, but even if she picked up, by the time she reached me, I'd either be dead or at home. That was the way I felt, like I was going to die. I know it sounds crazy, or maybe it doesn't, but I was fading fast. I put the phone away and started running. I could barely feel my limbs at that point, but I ran. I started feeling better; the blood was pumping and I was getting closer to home.

I arrived several minutes later, and it took me over two hours for my head to clear and my body to stop shaking. Even now, the whole affair seems surreal. I think back to the point whenI thought death was upon me. Did my life flash before my eyes? Did I think of my loved ones and how I'd miss them? Did I mull over any regrets? Did I see a tunnel of light softly beckoning me to enter it? No. I was too out of it to think much, and the thoughts I did have were more like "I'm so fucking cold. How much further?" or " Shit, I'm going to die". I realize much of my account sounds absurd, especially given the circumstances. All this over a two mile mile walk? Yeah, I know it sounds like much ado about nothing, and I felt that way as it was happening, but nature can be a bitch, and last night she proved that.

Was I really close to death? I don't know. Probably not. I'm pretty sure the body can handle much more than what I went through, but it felt like I was in dire straits, that's for sure.

I should have stayed home.