Shocking!

Well, it's always disappointing when my delusions of my own invincibility come shattering into reality.

I was playing in a racquetball match with a new partner (okay, yes, I was getting kicked) and just as she was finishing her swing I leaped for the ball and got a sharp smack by the racket squarely on my left bicep.

Surprisingly, even though it left an impressively bright and distinct mark (you can ALMOST read the words), it didn't really hurt at all, so we kept playing. Yeah, yeah, my game didn't improve at all...

But then...I started to feel really weird. Dizzy, and nauseated....flushed...my heart was racing. My hands started to get shaky, I could tell I was about to either break into sobs or barf (or give one final push and deliver a baby...but I knew that wasn't the sitch).

Gosh! All that first aid and CPR training prepared me to diagnose myself as going into shock. Years of lacking "the edge" in competitive sports also enabled me to also diagnose myself as a class-A woos. I had to lie down and sip water and call it quits for the day.

Certainly I was embarrassed, but also simply perplexed at what my body was doing while in my mind I was not actually upset or injured. Ah, me.

I also recollect that I've experienced similar psychological trauma when playing laser tag and paintball. I know it's not real, but having someone chase me with a gun (or, apparently, racket-shaped weapon) FREAKS me out and gives me a panic attack.