It was a quiet Sunday morning at the grocery store. I was at the self-checkout, where I was somewhat adrift in the usual MS-induced brain fog. Methodically scanning my groceries, I was oblivious to the world around me—including the attendant who was about 4 feet 9 inches tall (about 145 cm). She had quietly moved in between me and my cart to scan a case of water on the bottom rack, saving me the strain of lifting it.

However, timing is everything and so is location, especially when my hand tremor decides to take the spotlight. Some days my tremor is just annoying however some days it's pretty brutal, causing my entire arm to jerk. This was one of those days.

Just as she reached down to scan the water, my arm performed an impromptu and vigorous jerk, resulting in my elbow bashing the top of her head. I was startled, and I immediately felt awful.

Remarkably, she burst out laughing instead of howling in pain. Her amusement caught on quickly, and soon, the other employees who had witnessed my assault joined in the laughter.