It is not my custom to use this blog for doing public service announcements or for talking about near-death experiences. But since I had a near-death experience this past Sunday, I am making an exception and doing a PSR today.

Public service announcement: If you ride a bike, wear a helmet. If someone you love rides a bike, beg, bully, cajole or otherwise compel that person to wear a helmet. I promise you, you will never be sorry.

I know what I’m talking about. This past Sunday, on a beautiful Houston afternoon, I was biking with my local Episcopal church group, the Holy Spokes. I was speeding along at an exhilarating 18 miles an hour when my front wheel got caught in a rut and I went flying.

When I recovered consciousness some minutes later, the paramedics had already been summoned by my anxious Episcopal brethren. I was whisked off to the emergency room of Memorial Hermann Hospital. There, in the immortal words of Leo Durocher, “They x-rayed my head and found nothing.”

My helmet was shattered by the impact, but it almost certainly saved my life. It absorbed the brunt of the collision, and I walked away from a potentially fatal accident without even a headache.

While I’m writing this post, let me take this opportunity to salute this country’s dedicated paramedics and ER staff. They are wonderful, skilled, caring people who don’t get a tenth of the recognition they deserve.

So, while I am still very sore, I have no broken bones and expect be back to normal soon. Meanwhile, I repeat: If you ride a bike, please wear a helmet. Thank you.