This past summer I fell and hit my head on a concrete wall. I then spent time in the emergency room where doctors put 14 staples in my head to repair the gash.

The staples felt weird so I was glad when my primary care physician pulled them about ten days after the accident.

The doc is aware of my love for racquetball. She told me point blank I could not play for another week to ten days. Then she recommended I wear a helmet for a week or so when I started playing again.

A helmet!?

I evidently had a stricken look on my face at her recommendation.

“If the ball hits your head in just the right spot there could be serious damage,” she said solemnly. “This way you can play and be protected.”

I thought about the staples she had just pulled from my head. All 14 had been taken out. There were scabs on my head. I could feel them through my hair (my head had not been shaved).

Could a direct hit by a very fast ball cause a scab to bleed? Could someone hit me in just the right spot to damage my brain?

I thought a helmet was dorky. Then again, dorky vs. damaging my head forever seemed an easy choice. I chose a helmet.

Someone loaned me a helmet so I didn’t have to buy one. About five days into my return to the court, I was hit on the head.

It was a light tap by the ball, not a hard slam that can sometimes happen. I was glad I was wearing the helmet.

I no longer wear a helmet but I will if I must to protect my head.

It’s dorky. It’s a safety consideration.

s