Hommel Mangas
It was unexpected.
Last Monday, it was a beautiful sunshiny morning around 77 degrees at 8:54 a.m. I was thinking about how nice it was to see all my kin at the 100th Hommel Reunion. I nonchalantly stepped outside, walked through my garden to start my irrigation system (which means turning on the hose and moving the sprinkler) when whammo — I was down.
I walked into a drainage hole and heard my ankle crack. After gaining my composure, I looked down to see my ankle swelling, so I decided to crawl on my knees toward the house up the driveway, which was agony on my knees. I found out quickly that laying down and rolling up the driveway was more efficient and less painful as I kept my left ankle off the asphalt.
Ironically, the theme song to the 1959-1965 Western television series “Rawhide” began resounding in my brain. The catchy theme song is about the job of a drover on a cattle drive. Originally recorded by Frankie Laine, the refrain goes like this:
“Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Rawhide!”
I do think it helped me roll up the 200 feet of blacktopped incline to my phone inside the house — tapping the grit I witnessed from watching all the Olympian athletes compete to reach my destiny.
With the quick help of Mangas Chiropractic and Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, I found out I did in fact crack the bone, but relished in the news that no surgery was required. Forte fitted me with a beautiful gray boot that I get to sport around for a month.
I suppose I should publicly thank my younger brother Kevin for driving me in my time of need — and getting me to Forte by 10 a.m. (they receive walk-ins by 10). But I’m having mixed feelings since I was present when Kevin suggested to Dr. Andrew Wohler that he had received specific instructions that if my leg was broken, “Her husband has given permission to ‘put her down.’”
What Kevin also added was, “What I don’t know is if her husband has given permission to pay for or use anesthetics if you do have to put her down.”
Brothers!
Meanwhile, I’m moving a little slower and will probably be watching more of the Olympic finals — one never knows when you need a little extra grit to keep on rollin’.
Janet Hommel Mangas grew up on the east side of Greenwood. The Center Grove area resident and her husband are the parents of three daughters. Send comments to [email protected].
