“The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while Nature affects the cure.” -Voltaire
I have the flu. I do. As I've been lying in bed recuperating, I can't help but feel angry at myself. It started in my throat and sinuses and my ears. I realized this weekend as I'm restoring my pride, that the reason it started in my throat and my ears is because I spend my days, talking, listening, and giving my energies every day to those who need it more than they know, children. I'm very good at denial. I would talk myself out of feeling sick much like my students do when they haven't written the essay we've been working for the past two weeks. Denial works but it does catch up with you. It always does.
People get sick because they don't pay attention to themselves. I believe that the current flu epidemic is the result of our refusal to stop, relax and feed our souls. We push and push and push ourselves because we believe we have to and the result quite honestly are these epidemics. For so many people, work becomes priority or we experience a lighter paycheck. Something none of us can afford but it's happening regardless of our votes. Or we must show proof we were sick because well, our word has not been shown to be enough. We are not to be trusted.
Epidemics show we are weakened. The priorities have shifted to such a degree that it eventually had to show up in our health.
Physicians can do very little to help us with the flu. They can do very little about viruses indeed. I refuse to get the flu shot basically because well, the shot has "THE FLU" virus in it. Why would I inject myself with something that I absolutely do not want in the first place? The answer is this. We can't avoid the flu if we refuse pay attention to ourselves. Common sense dictates that we respect illness as the sign that our bodies need to slow down for a spell and heal. The flu I have was direct result of all of these things. As I've sipped my soup and eaten my husband's special grilled cheese sandwich, I've realized that although change doesn't come easy, it has to happen. The average middle-class American has the responsibility of everyone else on their shoulders. They have demonstrated this willingness too. With every world war, depression, weather disaster or crisis overseas, we support the decisions being made. But we need to slow down. We need to allow ourselves to slow down and demand the support to do so.
Some may say this is claiming a position to be lazy, to be entitled. Trust me, I know what "entitled" looks like. I see it continually. I'm talking about common sense. I'm referring to holistic, basic, simple things that we can do to keep ourselves as healthy as possible. I'm talking about paying attention. This week, I was at the food store and I watched this family get out of the car. The child was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. No coat, no hat, shorts-t-shirt, socks and sneakers. All I kept thinking to myself was how ridiculous the parents of this little girl looked. They did not look disadvantaged but my only thoughts were, "Could this flu epidemic also be due to stupidity? Are we that clueless?"
If we don't take of ourselves we become slaves to illness of all kinds. I have been in borderline health situations and it's scary and it isn't fun and the only way out is to change. Change is hard. We have lowered our resistance and we need to re-build it. That's the fundamental message here. The flu is our saving grace. It is our internal message to look inward and take care of ourselves even when we think it is inconvenient.
Now excuse me, my head hurts and I might need to go to the, the, well....Forgive me...I'll be back momentarily...
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