Down with the sickness

Oh, ah, ah, ah, ah!

David Draiman, Disturbed

Feeling sick sucks. I don’t think I’m breaking any new ground or turning any heads in stating this.

What being sick can do however, is it can slow you down. When you’re unwell, particularly with a flu, common cold or, the more infamous coronavirus, Covid-19; it forces you to stop your day-to-day activity and to just… be.

Nothing makes me more grateful for my health than when I’m sick. The things you take for granted, like breathing properly, not having a continually runny nose. When you could think clearly, or when your sinus didn’t burn. It’s funny how we don’t truly realise what we have until it’s taken away from us.

Slowing down also allows me to appreciate those I have in my life who care about me, and the lengths that they can go to for me in a time of need. I am a firm believer that the greatest gift you can ever give or receive is undivided time and attention. So to have someone else make you a cup of tea without you asking, or for your dogs to somehow just know you need a cuddle: these are true gifts of life and worthy of gratitude.

I have found I am also becoming appreciative of the smaller, creature comforts of life too; the little things that I normally take as a given. I have a good bed to sleep in, warm ugg boots to migrate around the house in and, I have a comfy couch to crash out on when I’ve walked all the way from the bed. A kettle for tea, a pantry with Salada and Sao crackers, cold lemonade in the fridge and, about 5 different streaming services to have on in the background while I muck about on my phone.

All this while I have my 10 personal leave days a year from my full-time job so I do not need to worry how to make ends meet if I cannot work.

If there were ever a benefit to feeling sick it is this: it has forced me to take stock of what I have and realise how good I have it. It is my true hope that for any of you reading this, if you were to take stock of your own situation you too would find you are wealthy beyond compare. May it be in those who care for you, in the quality of your couch, the warmth of your ugg boots, lemonade in your fridge or even the quantity of shows you can put on in the background while you play on your phone.

Being sick sucks — but it has made me grateful for all the other ways in which I am healthy.