On falling
Twice in the past two years I've taken a hard fall on ice: once at night walking on a dimly-lit sidewalk and another time on black ice in broad daylight. The first time no one was around. The second time I was in a public parking lot. My first act after the fall—before getting up—was to look around to see if anyone had observed my embarrassing fall.
I used to say that if I started slipping on ice I could catch myself in midair and land on my feet. Not so anymore. The falls have not only made me more cautious walking on snow and ice. They've humbled me, too.