Safe after a fall

The practice of Christian Science has given me a lifetime of healings to be grateful for. About two years ago, I was asked to come out of retirement to participate in a geology research project that required doing fieldwork in remote parts of Death Valley National Park in California—places I had studied four decades earlier. The project turned out to be rewarding, and my husband especially enjoyed assisting me.

On the Saturday before Easter, we investigated a location reached by a long drive up a very rough road and an hour-long hike down a high-walled and boulder-strewn wash (a dry streambed), followed by a climb up a steep, rocky slope. After documenting the geologic evidence at this site, we began our hike back.

Suddenly, the slope gave way under me, and I was rolling down the hill sideways over sharp rocks. I grabbed a boulder to try to stop myself, but it came loose and started rolling with me. As I tumbled uncontrollably, two thoughts came to me: first, “It’s a long way to the bottom”—which woke me up to the need to act fast—and second, “Deny the error!”—which guided me regarding what to do. With conviction, I yelled “No!” And immediately, I stopped rolling, even though I was still on a steep portion of the slope, and stood up.