No more hypnotic trances for me.

People are wondering how I could hit a parked vehicle while riding a bicycle. The short answer: By being careless. I was riding the bicycle repeatedly around an six-tenths mile oval road. Where there's supposed to be no parking. Around and around I went. Well, I became mesmerized. Hypnotized. Going about 12 miles an hour. I had a nice rhythm. Maybe that lulled me. I was wearing a visor cap. With my head down. Pumping, pumping, pumping away. Sometimes, I wouldn't glance up for a few seconds. Well, I glanced up. The vehicle was parked in a driveway, But the front end was sticking out into the street for 4 or 5 feet. I swerved, But didn't have time to miss the vehicle. Down I went. Landed on my right shoulder and right arm. On my right side. Fortunately, I rolled and that cushioned the impact. I was stunned. And bleeding. Took me a minute to regain my feet. Two witnesses to the accident came to my rescue. Washed my wounds with a hose. Gave me a white t-shirt to use to dab away the blood. I got back up on my bike. Went another two miles. To test myself. To see if I was all right. But an hour later, I decided to go to the emergency room. Spent two hours there. I was x-rayed. The good news: no broken bones. I was given two ice packs. To try to quell the swelling. And some pain pills. A week later, I'm still sore. Muscle spasms in my arm, shoulder, ribs and back. And I am bicycling every day. At least 20 miles. And I am staying alert. No more hypnotic trances for me. When I'm on my bicycle, that is. --Jim Broede