I had gone on a bike ride around a lake in Maine last summer. Near the end of the ride I was coming down a steep part of a dirt and gravel road when I noticed that heavy rains had created some ruts in the road. I have no memory of hitting the ground. When I woke up I was sitting on the porch of my cabin surrounded by neighbors who were trying to help me. I learned later that one of these neighbors had found me in the road and had brought me back home.
I had never experienced anything like this before. Although I could see and hear several neighbors talking to me and to each other, it seemed as if I were merely a spectator at some kind of play; I did not feel a part of this drama at all. One neighbor told me that I'd had a concussion. I was experiencing pain in one of my forearms, and I was groggy and not able to think clearly.
One of the neighbors went down to the lake and told my daughter what had happened, and she came immediately to my aid. As soon as she had talked to me, she telephoned a Christian Science practitioner to give me treatment through prayer. I talked to the practitioner, but I was still not thinking clearly. I do remember that the practitioner mentioned to me what Mrs. Eddy writes about accidents in Science and Health: "When an accident happens, you think or exclaim, 'I am hurt!' Your thought is more powerful than your words, more powerful than the accident itself, to make the injury real.
