All my life I have been doing pretty stupid things like trying to hide behind the fireplace when it was still hot and not knowing what the brakes were on the four-wheeler and running into my dad’s truck. But the summer before seventh grade was probably the most stupid thing I have ever done.

Me, my dad, and sister were down to Delta and we were mowing the lawns of all the rental houses my dad owns. After we were finished we were going to go to Fish Lake and go stay at a cabin up there with all of my mom’s side of the family.

I thought I was so lucky to get the riding lawn mower because I wouldn’t have to push it around like the one Brandi had.
I was in the front of the house and Brandi was talking to her friend Kinsey when the lawn mower wasn’t picking up the grass anymore. So I got off and was going to fix it myself. I had seen my dad unclog it before so I thought I knew what I was doing. I bent down and tried to flick the grass out.
I know what you’re thinking, but now I think about it and it was a really stupid thing to do. Next thing I knew I was pulling my hand away expecting just a little skin rubbed off or something, but what I didn’t expect was my finger bleeding like crazy and chopped right down the middle.
That was probably the scariest thing in my life, looking down at my finger and seeing my bone sticking out and blood everywhere.
Right as I saw it I started freaking out and running toward Brandi and her friend. When I caught Brandi’s attention and she saw what had happened I think she was more scared than I was.
Brandi hurried and ran calling my dad and after a while he finally heard and turned off the weed whacker. As soon as he saw it he hurried and took me to the hospital. We waited in the emergency room for what seemed like forever and my finger started to hurt really bad. It was in a dirty cloth my dad had found in the car and I didn’t really want to look at it anymore.
The doctor finally came and we sat there for a long time while he picked out all the tiny blades of grass from my finger.
When we got back to school I spent most of my time telling people what happened and telling them that Brandi didn’t get all four of her fingers chopped off. (We live in a place that rumors spread very fast.) Then I listened to everybody tell me how stupid I was.
So if your lawn mower ever stops working right… BUY A NEW ONE!