Humble

Today, I discovered yet again, the humbling power of a stumble.

As I stepped off an unstable boat onto a makeshift pier stairway, I lost my balance on the slippery clay and fell flat on my back. Fortunately, I was not hurt, and did not get into any serious trouble.

But, it was a close shave. I could have fallen overboard into the mangrove swamp. I could have landed on a rusty nail protruding from the wooden stairs. I could have dropped my bag into the water - passport and mobile phones included.

I was lucky enough to have been able to just stand up, assess the damage (amounting to a brown clay streak across the back of my trousers and a slightly damaged shoe) and walk off slightly dazed. To my credit, I did not lose my composure and completed the field trip in relatively good spirits.

I will be more careful next time. And, I will also remember that sometimes, stuff just happens.