Everyone has at least one story where they narrowly escaped an injury during DIY. Or they have a story about the injury sustained, where they fell off the roof, got pitched sideways off of ladders, took off the tips of their fingers with garden implements, etc. I know more than one person who stepped off of a strut while working in their attic, blasting a hole through the ceiling, one leg dangling though. People hurt themselves all the time, and with this being Summer, or “the time to get to all the crap done I have put off all year,” we are hurting ourselves in droves. Hammering fingers, dropping things on our heads, etc. Last year I read about a gardener who tripped onto his shears, driving the blasted thing directly into his eye socket. Imagine having to drive to the hospital, with a major blind spot. Very hard to park. Anyway, I didn’t have it so bad, really. Could have been worse.

First thing to remember when using power tools, take your time. Double-check your tools. Wear your facemask. Luckily, I did this last one. As a part-time jeweler I love tools, and I love to experiment with new ones. On this particular day I was using a new tool, an insert into a flex shaft (a motorized hand tool used for polishing and grinding, etc.) It looks like something out of a torture chamber; little metal spikes that rotate against metal to give it a speckled, matte finish. Ok I lost you there…lets just say it is a cool tool. But I must not have checked the fitting, or it may just have been a faulty piece, because one second I was happily polishing away, and the next, part of it broke off and caught, slamming down on my thumb with all the force of Thor. I tend to go quiet and calm in situations of shock, and this was one of them. “Hmm,” I thought to myself, turning off the motor. “That is by far the biggest hole I have ever seen in my body. Look at that! Wow! That is seriously a lot of blood! I think, this could be broken! Because of the incredible pain! What do you know!” And with that I took my bleeding finger inside, called my husband over, and he ferried the kids to their respective birthday parties while I spent a fun few hours in emergency. It was only when I got there and the nurse asked me to show it to her that I started to feel upset. When a person’s eyes widen at your revelation, then you know, you have F@%*ed yourself up, bad.  Still, the guy in the x-ray department had seen worse, I asked him as much.

“Oh yeahhh, “ he said, with enthusiasm. “I have a demented sense of humour, you know? I see all sorts of injuries. It’s awesome. Like this guy, he came in here last week holding his leg, and I thought, what’s the matter with him? But then he turned sideways and I saw this MASSIVE nail sticking out, and that was totally cool.”

My thumb, now with a personality. A throbbing, angry personality.

I smiled at him. It’s good to know people can love their work. It also reminded me, yes, this is the season of DIY, which could also stand for DumbAss in Yard.

So be careful people. Check your tools, don’t rush, and for god sakes throw that old ladder away, unless you are wearing a crash helmet, which is probably a good idea anyway.