A Spot of Tea.

 The risen little finger or Pinkie was once considered a sign of high class. Over time it's been misconceived but the idea basically came from the 1600 and 1700's when the Brits were sipping their beloved tea from the tiny porcelain bowls imported from China. A thumb and an index finger held the caffeinated concoction at the six o'clock position while the pinkie extended outward as a counterbalance so as the Queen Mum didn't inadvertently spill on her blouse. 

Since the Poor Folk couldn't afford tea and tea drinking was restricted to the wealthy, it became a general assumption that an extended pinkie could be attributed to being upper class. Petite hands of Great Britain's wealthiest ladies and gents propagated a myth that their rigid but dainty, pinkies signified social status. 

Seems it's just a misconception and doesn't really mean anything. I'll reach for my Tea and Crumpets while I contemplate this any further.....

I think an extended pinkie is Cool.

But right now I don't have any choice.

Mine isn't necessarily dainty or petite. I guess I would use words more like mangled, mutilated and damaged to describe my fifth digit right now. A month ago to the day, I got into a bit of an accident. It sounds way cooler to say it was a motorcycle accident as opposed to saying I dumped an e-bike. Truth is, the "bike" in which I laid on the pavement in an unexpected but violent and brutal manner is technically an E MOTO....As in Motocross Cycle powered by and Electric Battery. 

Luckily it was just my two fingers of my left hand that suffered the brunt of the damage. I did get some topical road rash on my wrist, both knees and right side of my ribcage. And I guess the deep thigh contusion and accompanying disgusting bruise that followed was no laughing matter, especially two weeks later when I still looked like hamburger. 

To save you most of the details, I'll shorten it up into bullet points....

*Brand New E Moto bike brought to the Pool on Closing day by 15 year old lifeguard

*Ride offered to the Old Man - in hindsight, this was when the poor decision making started.

*Smooth but Fast ride through and out of town. 

*Stopped at a Stop Sign, mere blocks away from the end of the ride, I slipped the Machine in to S mode.

*As I learned later, S mode (Sport mode) in most vehicles offers more torque and faster throttle response by altering the engine and transmission settings.

When you switch to Sport mode, the vehicle's computer changes how it delivers power to give you a more aggressive and responsive driving experience.

*"S" does not mean Safe, or Senior Citizen - it means STOOPID.

My pride was destroyed when the motorcycle looped out from underneath me and jumped up and bit me! I was lucky to not wind up in the hospital although I was in the Doghouse for weeks after the accident. My body is slowly starting to heal and I am regaining usage of my dainty pinky finger each new day. 

I've learned that I don't bounce as much as I used to. In recent weeks we have had 4 other high school athletes injured by e-scooters, e-bikes and the same e-Moto that I dumped. The injuries have cost these young men playing time and have left significant wounds that will take time to mend. These things are NOT toys and need to be approached with caution. Maybe a Spot of Tea would help ease our pain.