I’ve always been clumsy. I believe it is a matter of genetics, and given similar evidence from my mother on how frequently she injures herself, I think I know where I get it from. It seems to manifest itself in major incidents once ever 6-12 months, but also in a series of smaller ones on a regular basis.
Major incidents on my side include falling on gravel and ripping my knee open, tripping over a very low fence and ripping my knee open, and falling over whilst walking on level ground, tumbling forwards about 15-20 yards, hitting a concrete dustbin, hurting my shoulder, kicking myself in the back of the head, cutting my face and elbows, and of course, ripping my knee open.
My mother, sister and I all seem to suffer from “weak ankle syndrome”, a condition where our ankles will collapse for no apparent reason when we least suspect it. We all also have a prominant heel of bone that protudes more than most from the back of our heads. I believe it to be a permenant bump that our ancesterors had from their clumsiness, that over generations has formed into bone.
The reason I mention this in particular is that I’ve got a scar on my arm, which I acquired when I bashed into our wheely bin outside the house. It was a few weeks ago, and has now healed. Into an inverse exclamation mark. Every time I look at it, I feel like I’m expressing my extreme clumsiness in Spanish. I wonder if it will heal up, or if I am now to carry this mark of my inability with my limbs…
