I will be pleased to see the back of 2018. This is for many reasons, not least my accident in July. Everything is relative of course. There are those who have lost a loved one or have gotten bad news regarding their health or the health of a family member.

So in comparison, what happened to me pales into insignificance. But almost six months since I tripped on the street in Amsterdam and smashed my shoulder, I look back and shiver. Maybe I should look back at 2018 and be thankful I wasn’t killed.

I try to close my eyes and glimpse the moment when I hit the ground. Still I cannot pinpoint exactly what happened. One minute I am crossing the street. The next I am lying with my chin on the cobbles, my glasses and hotel room key a foot or two ahead of me on the ground. The card slid right out of my pocket while the lens from my glasses were scraped.

Shattered

The skin on the tip of my nose was thinly sliced off too. And the bone between my elbow and shoulder shattered while the shoulder came clean out of the socket.

If I had not had the presence of mind to put out my hand my head would have broken the fall and I don’t think I’d be writing this now if that had happened.

What has been the result of this trauma? I’m still working closely with my physio and surgeon to get my left arm functioning properly. I am getting there although it will be another 12 months before a full diagnosis of the long-term damage can be assessed. I still have a lot of nerve damage which leaves two of my fingers and part of my lower arm numb or with pins and needles. Arm movement remains restricted but the pain is lessening all the time.

Psychologically, I am in a very good place. Few of us get through life without a couple of big belts. If this is my belt, then I got away lightly. It beats being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Fingers crossed on that one. But what it has done is make me appreciate the fragility of life. There is every chance that I can get back to 80% or 90% functionality. But yes, it has been life-changing.

I think about mortality and how precious life is. I will never know but I just say to myself now that I was centimetres from cracking my skull forcefully and at speed off the ground which would have either killed me or left me in a bad way forever.

Until something like this happens, it is hard to explain to others the impact it has.

Near misses

Farmers who have had near misses will know all about this. Farm accidents have taken too many lives, too soon and too easily over the years. Until you succumb to an accident which could have been fatal, it probably doesn’t hit you how vulnerable we are.

So maybe on the whole I could say that what happened to me has taught me a valuable lesson to slow down and be thankful for all the good things in life despite all the challenges and relative hardships we face. Before Friday 13 July 2018, I probably didn’t appreciate the gift of life. I do now. We all should. Happy Christmas.

Glory of sport

It has been an amazing year for Irish sport, particularly on the international scene, and we have a rugby team for the ages. But despite all of the individual and team successes, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that the real winner this year was hurling. It was the greatest championship ever.