Coming around the corner at top speed, I launched off the lip with a great boof angle and right as i hit the landing, the music of my alarm started up.

I sat up in bed and glanced at the cast on my right hand. 'yep, still there.' As I got up and started stumbling towards the shower, I thought about how I got to this place of patience testing, all the way back from my shoulder injury last year to the here and now. beyond that, the list flipped through my mind...

fall '05 - broken second metacarpal in L hand (index finger inside palm of hand), La Paz Costa Rica -surgical repair with plate and 6 small screws
spring '06 - fractured L thumb, Koosah Falls, OR
spring '07 - cracked? L rib, 40/40 Toxaway - unconfirmed but it hurt.
spring '08 - fractured calcaneus in R foot (heel), biking
summer '09 - sheared labrum R shoulder & posterior dislocation R sternoclavicular joint (danger side of collarbone), biking at Whiteface, NY - labrum repaired, sternoclavicular thera-banded.
fall '10 - broken 4th metacarpal R hand (ring finger) biking at Snowshoe, WV - surgical repair with burly plate and 5 burly screws.

why?
...
we are each blessed with a lifetime of experiences. what better a way than to experience the challenge and danger of facing that true natural reality head on, having to make decisions moment to moment as to how to flow most aesthetically and get the most fun out of your ride!

when
"if i miss that move, i fall into that hole and get trashed"
and
"if i lose my front end on that root, im going to hit that tree"

become

"when i hit that wave with this angle, i think i'll be able to get to that awesome..."
and
"when i come out of there, i'm gonna be flying"

think of the different level of experience you recieve! nothing is free, nothing is easy - thats why riding the serpent's back through the mountains and the rivers is my search, and i'm sticking to it.

Cheers
Pat Keller