Gimme A Break

Every kid occasionally comes up with a dumb idea

- Christy Heitger-Ewing

I’ll never forget the summer at the cabin when I purposefully tried to break my own leg. To properly set the stage, I should probably back up a bit.

There was a stretch of time during my grade school years when it seemed like everyone and their brother had a broken bone. At least once a month, one of my classmates hobbled into school sporting a bright white cast that was begging to be christened by a Sharpie.

Teachers presented the injured Annie (or Andy) with suckers, stickers and super-awesome pity treats like chill time in the comfy rocker during silent reading.

While my accident-prone peers fell from the monkey bars, took tumbles at the skating rink and plummeted from flimsy tree branches, I was left wondering when I would catch a break – a literal one. When would I get a chance to shine, whine, and dine on cherry flavored lollipops?