I really have been kicked by an elephant. And I have a picture to prove it! The picture just captures the moment the big Indian elephant lifts its hind leg to kick me out of the way (which wasn’t too difficult as I was a good 2 stone lighter back then…ok, actually… 3 1/2 stone).

I guess we’ve all felt as if we’ve been kicked by an elephant at some point in our lives. If not by elephant then at least by a small beaver. And if not kicked then at least slapped about a bit. Some of us have been kicked in the teeth, others in the goolies. I was kicked in the ass. And some of us cope better with these ‘kickings’ or ’slappings’ from the ‘animal’ world than others. It is also true that some of us bruise more easily than others, some have more brittle bones than others (especially if you don’t drink milk, have a family history of osteoporosis or take long-term steroids*) and some have better access to the appropriate healthcare than others. My question to you is which of these categories do you fit into and how should we protect ourselves from being kicked by an elephant?

One simple suggestion might be not to stand so flipping close to the big beasts. Or if you do find yourself in a confrontation with one of these animals follow the advice my dad used to give me if I ever got into a fight: ‘Hit them first and hit them hard!’ Which is why I’ve never been punched by a badger….

(*If you would like to know more risk factors for osteoporosis let me know -I see no reason why this post should not be educational as well as random)