Life on the edge

.....a knife's edge, that is.

I've always been a little nervous around knives. I know that probably sounds silly, but...that's how I've felt. Why? Because they're so sharp. And if you make a mistake around them, bad things can happen.

Take Wednesday. It had been a pretty good day, actually. I got home from work at a decent hour, put in a nice workout at the Y, and was nearly finished preparing dinner when I reached into the dishwasher to pull out a drippings tray for the George Foreman grill.

And sliced my left palm.

Just like that, in the blink of an eye.

A steak knife had shifted in the silverware tray and was jutting out at just the right angle to catch my hand.

At first I thought stitches were a foregone conclusion. But I was fortunate: The bleeding stopped rather quickly, the wound - though perhaps an inch long - wasn't deep, and the cut closed pretty much on its own.

Just typing that paragraph made me shudder.

Some generic antibiotic cream, a large flexible bandaid, an Advil for any swelling and pain, and ... well, I won't say "I was good to go," because my left hand was definitely limited in what it could do for the rest of the night without irritating the injury.

Just to be on the safe side, I wrapped my hand in a plastic bag and rubber band in the shower this morning and did everything right-handed. That slowed me down noticeably, since I'm a southpaw, but I still managed.

Writing notes at City Hall with a pen proved too painful yet this morning, so I relied on a digital voice recorder to handle briefings and interviews. But typing has been fine.

All in all, I feel fortunate - even blessed. I could have been cut in much worse places on my hand, rather than on the palm below my pinky, about halfway down.

For those who believe in such things, it didn't cut through my life line, or my love line, or any other "lines" your palm supposedly contains. At worst, it'll be another "line" on my palm. At best, the scar will fade away over time as my skin gradually sheds cells.

I do know this: I don't care if the so-called kitchen experts say silverware should be placed handles down in the dishwasher tray so the pieces can be properly washed: from now on, the knife blades are going in faceDOWN...like I used to do it.