Head Bonks & Hallucinations

A few weeks ago, I think I suffered a minor concussion. It’s impossible to know for sure, but the facts would suggest so – and sad to report, the story of how it happened is entirely lame. I was at the gym – let me just interject here and tell you, it’s definitely not what you’re thinking – when I headed to the free squat rack and proceeded to bend down to pick up the shoulder pad for the bar (it was resting on the floor)..and on my way up, I crashed my head into one of the metal support beams on the rack…hard. I vaguely recall emitting a loud, vocal “Ouch!” to the surprised glances of onlooking gym-goers. It was such a significant hit that all I could focus on was the shock of the sudden impact, no attention left to even feel embarrassed.

It hurt like a b****, and in hindsight, I do think I was pretty tired the rest of the day, but the next morning at orchestra rehearsal…well, that’s when I knew. My head was spinning, I felt lightheaded, and there was just way. too. much. stimulation. An orchestra (especially sitting in front of the brass) is not the place to be when you might have a concussion. 😅 Needless to say, my head was pounding by the time I returned home, and I basically spent the remainder of the day sleeping…and I’m one of those people who almost never naps. Clearly something was up.

Luckily, it seemed to resolve itself within a few days and by early/mid next week (the fateful head bonk occurred on Friday morning), my symptoms were pretty much gone…or so I thought.

Later that week, I was walking through the streets in my neighborhood, enjoying the early spring weather and catching up with my mom on the phone. As I casually strolled down the city streets, I encountered a woman walking towards me with her four-legged friend on a leash…except wait, no, it wasn’t a dog. Wait. What. This couldn’t be right.

Was I seeing what I thought I was seeing?

I fell silent on the phone for a few minutes, doing a solid quadruple-take. I was trying not to stare, but also, I needed to confirm what I saw before me.

…She was walking a pig. Yes, that’s right. A pig on a leash, the snout gently muzzled shut with a little piece of tied string. Just taking her pig on a stroll through the urban streets of Montréal as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Was I hallucinating?? I hadn’t hit my head that hard, had I?

Of course, I had to wait a couple of minutes until she was appropriately far enough away to be out of earshot before I could express my stunned disbelief on the phone:

Uhhh, sorry. I just walked past a lady who was walking a pig. An actual pig, on a leash, Mom! Like….what. I’m sorry, I’m still in shock here.

It was so bizarre, yet also quite comical. Not your typical city sight, that’s for sure.

My only regret is that I didn’t take a picture. I had wanted to, but how does one go about discreetly taking a picture of someone walking their pig on the sidewalk without being obviously rude and intrusive?

Not to mention, it took my brain a few minutes to process everything, by which point, it was too late for a good and clear angle anyways. I suppose I could have snapped a really terrible (and likely blurry) shot of the pig’s tail as it waddled away in the distance…but I didn’t.

At this point, I really wish I had done at least that. Not just because it would have made this post complete in a way my mere words could never accomplish, but moreover so that I could confirm without a doubt that I hadn’t simply hallucinated this in a momentary head-injury-related relapse.

But who knows, perhaps I’ll cross paths with the lady and her pig in the future – and rest assured, nothing will stop me from taking a photo next time. Until then, the truth of the matter – reality or illusion – will remain a pig-stery.