Carefulness

Yesterday - while watering my begonias - I stepped on a roofing staple left by the roofers who so nicely reroofed only two weeks ago. It went right through my sneakers and my old (at least 5 year old, but still in really good shape) knitted grey socks and then into my foot. It was obviously too deep to pull out and besides just the thought was even more painful than its placement in my foot ...

After lots of hopping, begging a ride to the ER, where I sat for 4 hours with the staple hanging out of my shoe while other more grieviously injured and sick people were cared for - and then being told it would be a minimum of 2-4 hours more before I would be seen - I proceeded to scam another ride to the doctor's office (where I should have gone in the first place, except I thought the hospital might have better drugs to ease the pain, which after 4 hours of waiting was now in my head as well as my foot). Here I waited (all this time with no knitting to distract me!) for another 45 minutes until the doctor removed the staple with little damage to my shoe, none to the sock, and much pain to my foot - and received a tetenus shot and some antibiotics. I limped home to revel in my misery and hopefully to receive some sympathy ...

All I got was this - that I should be more "careful" - hmmm I pondered what that might mean - certainly if I was in need of being more "careful" I must have been careless in some way ...

What does it mean to be "careless"? I will consult the dictionary!

Careless:

Careless often implies negligence - was I negligent? Nope, I even wore shoes.

Marked by or resulting from lack of forethought or thoroughness - I might be guilty of this - after all, I didn't consider all the possible dangers lurking in the grass - there could've been poisonous snakes, or quicksand, or an IED planted by Illegal Aliens, or a three inch long, very sharp staple inadvertantly dropped by the roofers ...

Exhibiting a disposition that is free from cares; cheerful - I am guilty of this as well, I was cheerful, just going out to water my plants in anticipation of having a nice phone call with the very one who now believes I need to be more "careful".

But perhaps I should concentrate on what he meant by careful, and not assume he meant I was "careless", just that I need to be "careful" (I'll give him the benefit of the doubt because I am a very nice person and my foot doesn't hurt as badly as it did last night).

Careful:

Protective; solicitous: Be careful of his feelings.

Aha! This is what he really meant! I should've known that my getting sharp objects stuck into my foot and experiencing severe pain would cause his feelings to be upset :P

So in the future I will be more careful (protective, solicitous), so he will not have to be more careful (Full of cares or anxiety: “Thou art careful and troubled about many things”), and instead he can be always careless (Exhibiting a disposition that is free from cares).

To be fair, he is quick to realize when he's said the wrong thing (even if its a bit late, having said the wrong thing first) - he came back with - "since you won't be able to do much - well, at least you'll have more time for knitting!" And I will - the thought cheered me so much - I am now Carefree (cheerfully irresponsible) and will knit until my foot is better.

Note to HWSNBN: Next time I get sick or injured or in any other way imperil myself - skip the other stuff and just leap to : Well, at least you'll have more time to knit!