Kat --

I usually fall from a four point (two feet, two crutch tips, or two hands on a grab bar) stance, rather than a two point stance, so I don't know if my advice would've been helpful to you or not, but my general response to falling is to roll -- turn my torso as soon as I start loosing my balance, that way, there isn't so much direct impact between me and the floor.

Problem is, if I do it wrong, I can really twist a back muscle...

So never mind....

As for the dissasociation between "falling" and "love": I really think that was my problem. My associations of falling were formed so early and so strongly that I can't just see the phrase "falling in love" as a quirky idiom. I really do reserve it for that specific situation I described in the opening: the unexpected loss of emotional balance. I suspect that most people who will be writing for the Art Garden this time 'round will simply write about the process of becoming aware of love (Irene, for example, confided in me that she is writing about "falling in love" with her garden... which isn't what I would classify as falling in love).

Oh, and be careful out there. I worry about all you untrained folks! ;-)