I did it.  I made it through an entire week without injuring myself.  This may seem like an odd milestone to celebrate, but given that last week I hurt myself while walking, I’ll take it.

There’s nothing like getting a diagnosis, then reading more about it online and finding you are even lamer than you thought (pun intended).  My injury is a meniscus tear, which WebMD says “can occur when you lift something heavy or play sports.”

Was I doing either of those things?  No.  I simply walked onto a Metro train, planted my right foot and turned left to walk up the aisle to a seat.   The result was a sharp pain in my knee that I expected to go away while I slept that day, but got progressively worse throughout the week, eventually making it difficult to walk at all.

Fortunately it doesn’t appear to have been a major tear, so I should be back to things like running pretty soon.

It’s also great to know I have the support and sympathy of my friends and family.  Roommate CA’s first question upon hearing the diagnosis was whether I would have some sort of brace or device he could make fun of this time.  He was referring to this, my friend for eight weeks during the great Stress Fracture Winter of 2009-10:

Sadly, for him, there’s nothing of the sort with this injury.  Though I still have the boot in my closet somewhere in case of emergency.

Last Sunday I did something that was totally unprecedented in my life, and I would venture to say yours as well. I injured myself in church.

To make things even better, I injured myself during a portion called the “Passing of the Peace” during which everyone greets those around them and offers a peaceful message.

Usually that involves at minimum a handshake, and being the happening young chap that I am, I have a sweet handshake ritual with one of my usual pew compatriots. It took me a little while of Googling to figure out just how to describe this handshake, but I have settled on “pound explode.”

If you’re unfamiliar, it involves a few easy steps. First, each person makes a fist, with one holding there’s a foot or two above the other’s. The top person moves their hand down as the bottom person’s goes up until the two hit. Then immediately reverse roles (top person moves down, hits, then moves back up to hit again). Finish it off by doing a standard fist bump and then immediately opening your hand as if the incredible impact has created an explosion. The last part is seen multiple times in this video.

The result is usually awe from those around you. This time, it led to this:

Maybe I should avoid doing this ritual with people who wear rings. I just hope I can heal in time for next week’s service.

Note: Tomorrow’s blog (originally scheduled for today) has the potential to be incredibly entertaining, particularly if you went to school with me in the 4th grade. Stay tuned.