Have You Ever "Seen Stars?"

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You've seen it on cartoons, Elmer Fudd gets an anvil dropped on his noggin and he sits there looking dazed while stars orbit his head. But, did you know that this is an actual phenomenon? I was at a concert and had gone outside while the band was taking a break. I started up the ramp to go back inside when I was struck by a 200 pound man running at full speed down the ramp. When we made contact, he stopped short while my body absorbed all that momentum and I went sailing through the air. Time went into slow motion for me, like what happens when you are in a traffic accident. I saw the people around me turn to watch me fly by. All the while, I was thinking, “This could be really bad, I wonder what the damage will be.” I landed on the back of my head on the gravel driveway and my body felt like it sunk into the earth as if it was a big pillow. That was when I saw the stars. It was really more like sparkly fairy dust falling down around me. Later, when I went to the ER to make sure there was no bleeding in my brain, that was one of the questions they asked me, "did you see stars?" At first I didn't want to go to the hospital. I think your first instinct when something like that happens is to say "I'm OK" and try to get on with your day. But, I was not able to get up off the ground without help. Even after I'd been helped up I was dizzy and nauseous. It turned out I just had a mild concussion, but even at that, I was not able to return to work for a week. It's been a few years since that happened, but I still have a little knot on the back of my head.