Living alone has its pleasures. It also has its perils. My accident happened a year ago on my 52nd birthday. I got home late from work and was running like crazy to get ready and join some friends for a small celebration. Just as I was preparing to leave, I slipped and fell down a flight of hardwood stairs.

It was a hard lesson to learn. It was a Saturday night, around 10:45 pm. I returned home from a night out with friends and life was good -- that was, until I walked through my front door.