Man vs. Nature

Story time!  And today's is a doozie.  My head is still kind of spinning from it, actually.

So earlier today, there I was, innocently doing my running run through town, having a pretty good time of it and enjoying the cool pre-sunrise weather, noticing the return of the students to town.  I approached another fellow taking a stroll down the sidewalk, so I stepped off onto the street and ducked around the trees to go around him when suddenly it felt like I was hit in the head with a baseball bat.

OUCH.

I'm telling you, that branch appeared out of NOWHERE.  I'm quite sure I have adequate depth perception to understand and avoid running into things most times (though I feel like I have been clumsier than usual recently, breaking dishes and tripping over cords on a very regular basis), The guy I had just run past looked appropriately horrified at what he had just witnessed, and asked me if I was okay, and all I could do was stumble around for a second and say "Ow..."  I went back and examined the offending branch, and I just don't know how running into what I think I ran into could have possibly felt like that.  It truly felt like running head-first into a wall.  I was about a mile away from home, so I gently massage my throbbing bump and continued on my little run, and that's when I looked over at my reflection in the restaurant window and noticed blood running down my forehead.  Yikes!  It wasn't gushing or anything, so I wasn't too worried, but still I figured I better get home soon.  When I made it there, the wound was still a little bloody, but not really bleeding that much, if you know what I mean.  I didn't feel too dizzy or light-headed or anything (a little exhilarated from a good run maybe), but I did feel kind of like when you reach the top of the stairs and think there's one more step, and then experience that strange sensation like you don't really know what just happened (thanks to Lemony Snicket for the adjusted allusion).  The Wife made a sweet and sympathetic fuss about my little injury and helped me clean it up and examine it.  I wondered casually if such a thing would need stitches, since I don't have much experience with injuries requiring that kind of attention, but once we had a good look at it we thought it was mostly just a pretty good couple of scratches on my cheek and just past my hairline, and they would probably heal up on their own with time and a little ointment.  One of the scratches is pretty sizable, I should say, but it's not too serious.  So, no permanent head injuries or serious cranial trauma, at least not that I've noticed yet.

Cool, tree.  REAL cool.

Running is good for your health, they say, but apparently it can also be quite hazardous!  Just last week I almost faceplanted on the sidewalk when a dog ran right under my feet and in between my legs (after which it proceeded to follow me halfway home, catching up after it paused to sniff around, and then I finally lost him when it became distracted by some spot on the sidewalk).  Maybe in the future I'll be just a LITTLE more observant when dodging foliage.  So um, I'm not quite sure exactly who won in this morning's battle of Man vs. Nature, but I guess this one has to go to Nature.  My head still hurts a little, but that tree didn't seem to suffer much (if at all) as a result of our epic collision, except maybe when I snapped a twig off in some pitiful kind of retribution as I rubbed my forehead in vexation.  I hope we don't meet again, Tree, but if we do, you will not be so victorious!