Two years ago today, I wiped out on my mountain bike and broke my left elbow and smashed my right knee. This turned out to be a kind of happy accident on two fronts.
One: My left elbow had already been blown out for months from a weight-lifting injury (which was why I was exercising on my bike and not lifting on that day). Keeping the arm immobilized in a sling for two months actually healed the pre-existing injury.
Two: The elbow and the knee took a long time healing and getting back to 100%. To strengthen the ligaments and the tendons, I decided about a year ago to start going to circus school and taking trapeze, which has become an incredibly important part of my life, has become a new art form I have embraced and which has had the added bonus of helping me get over my heart-punching terror of heights. So, a lot of good ultimately came out the accident. It still HURT LIKE A BITCH. But I’ll take the rough with the smooth. Here’s a pic of the fracture. Enjoy! 🙂
Inside the mind of author Michael Marano 