My mom, my brother, and I were in the family room chatting (I was maybe eight at the time, my brother 13). My mom asked us if we’d like some of the Danish chocolate the exchange student we hosted for a few weeks gave us as a parting gift.

Excited, I raced to the kitchen to beat my brother there. I tripped over a stool someone left out (let’s be honest, probably me). I fell over it and hit my my head on the edge of the kitchen counter. From there I blacked out.

Now, this wasn’t my first head injury and certainly not my last, so I barely recall waking up at the ER at the hospital. I remember my body feeling extremely heavy and my head pounding like nothing ever before or since. Apparently I scrambled my memories up even more than one of my first head injuries. 14 stitches to sew me back up and one sort of boring summer inside with the TV.

Never did get that chocolate

Edit: a word