Friday, April 17, 2009

Falling for Doylestown

Today I spent the majority of the day going to, in, and returning from Doylestown, PA. I went for a school project - and I don't think I would have ever gone there otherwise, but I'm so glad I did!

This town is a cute little east coast town. It is 1.5 hours away from Philly on the train. Downtown is nearly all independent stores (except for a Starbucks with a BIG sign!), tons of sidewalk dining, nice, healthy looking people, and great old Philly architecture. I think I could live there. I think anyone nice could live there! Granted it's also 70 and sunny today, so I think that nearly anywhere would be beautiful - but this place really was!

On my way to the train - it was 10 to 1, and the train was at 1:20 - I wanted to stop to get a sandwich. There was one restaurant that was clearly more crowded than the others, and the sandwiches come out onto the sidewalk diners looked superb, so I went inside. The queue was outrageous, but I stood. I asked the lady behind me if she had been there before, and if the line would move quickly. She said yes, and then we talked and talked...she grew up in Philly, moved to Doylestown, because she just loved it, she goes to Penn Hospital for her "treatment," her niece lives in New Zealand...which is sort of near Singapore, her cousin's husband's mother has a place in Traverse City...she was super nice. She was right - we got to the front quickly. I asked them to expedite my sandwich, which they did, some guy told a girl her shoe laces were untied, four people said hi to me, and then I ran out of there. I had ten minutes before the train LEFT, so I started running...in my danskos...with my backpack, computer, filled nalgene, coffee cup, etc.,...sandwich and fleece in hand, and of course, I fell.

My fall sort of reminded me of "the secret" which says that if you think it - even if you think "I don't want to fall" it will still happen. I kind of kept thinking about how I hope I don't fall, but the second I stopped thinking about it, I did. I landed on my knees and used my right hand to stop me, so I ripped my NEW jeans (the first ones I have bought since 2001!!), got a huge cut on my left knee, which is also super swollen, fell straight on the top of my right knee bone, which is really painful now, and I also cut up the palm of my right hand. Boo.

For a second on the way home I planned what time I would have to go running or walking to be outside for an hour and a half (to get in a whole This American Life plus more...) before going to dinner with and old friend, but when I got off the train, I realized it hurt to walk at all! So...here I sit, doing work in my room until I go to dinner.

Refua shlemah to my knees!

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