A couple of days ago I
fell ill. And I spent most of my time in bed for an entire week. My illness
started off mildly, I felt shivery and would end up taking some hot beverage to
stimulate my system. For 3 days, I stack to the same remedy not yielding to any
advice of seeing a doctor. When it comes to injections and medicine, I am the
worst fellow to recommend them to; because they are some of those things I have
developed deep phobias towards. If I really have to take prescribed medication,
then my condition must be pretty much awful. Well, that is a habit I am forever
changing ever since the past fortnight when I was completely overpowered by an
illness at a time when I needed good health the most. I had my end of semester
exams then. I hadn’t cared enough to think what the next 2 days would turn out
to be like had I not sought early medical attention. With symptoms cuing, I
would earnestly mumble a prayer to at least sit my two final papers before chewing blackout in
the name of sickness!
Unfortunately, we don’t
always have things work out our way. And so on a fateful Sunday
afternoon…having felt nausea earlier that morning, I headed downtown to a
saloon. My exam paper was scheduled the next day on Monday and later that
afternoon I had an internship interview. While walking to town, I couldn’t help
thinking more about how I would finish my exam paper and thereafter have my interview….my day was going to be
that simple. However, as soon as I got to the saloon things fell apart. The
hairdresser could barely do my hair as I kept on asking for a break to do a nap.
Things didn’t seem good at all. I had to call my girlfriend back at school to
come and pick me up as I could barely get anywhere on my own. We headed
straight to the clinic. Finally I relented to the call to see a doctor. I had
severe fever and was diagnosed to be suffering from a bacterial infection and
Malaria. I looked okay but deep inside felt teary and shattered. I got a couple
of jabs and medication to take for the next week.
Monday morning…….I was
down in bed. What! I couldn’t have my exam paper….and obviously there was no
interview for me! I kept praying and wishing I had been to hospital a little
earlier, but that wasn’t going to solve the issue at hand. My girlfriend had to
make sure I received a letter from the medical services exempting me from
sitting the remaining papers as I was too weak to sit up or stand. Monday would have turned out to be one of my
longest days on earth……but it never did. And that is why I am doing this blog
post. Because I felt a lot better than I had anticipated……partly because of the
good medical attention I received, but most importantly because of the power of
friends.
I never knew how caring
classmates could be until I fell ill. In life, there are people we never get to
interact with, circumstances bring us together and when they do, we still stick
as acquaintances to each other. We don’t share much in common except for the fact
that we are perhaps classmates, or church-mates or stay in the same
neighborhood….it is social events or gatherings that bring us together. We
never care to know each other because after all, we don’t have things that bind
us. Now that is human nature, you can’t blame yourself for heeding to it.
I had lots of my classmates
pop in to my room to say a word of hi…and bring out their best of joke cracking
to cheer me up. I was entertained to a whole afternoon of laughter especially
the day after. I got to know another side of my classmates I never did. They
were truly caring people. I am not much of a stay behind-get-to-know-my
classmates’ kind of person which is something I need to work on. I felt quite guilty seeing some faces in my
room, I almost blamed my girlfriend for making the whole word think I was on a
death bed!! Sometimes it feels as though people think we’re soon leaving them
and therefore come to pay their last tributes just before we eventually
disappear into thin air. But that wasn’t it. These people did more than just
visit me, they shone a ray of hope in me, they gave me a therapy I needed to
get me kicking for my interview day which had been pushed to Wednesday
afternoon. By Tuesday night, except for loss of appetite and stubbornness
swallowing medicine, I looked quite energetic and ready to face an interview
panel. I had laughed so much that my
belly was aching. I didn’t want to laugh anymore but it was what I needed to
restore the liveliness that lived in me. That Tuesday night as I drowned in my usual
world of meditation just before sleeping, I said a little prayer to God; “Thank
you God for giving me such wonderful classmates. I am not sure if I could ever
thank them enough, and let them know just how much their presence and stories
touched my heart and life. If it is within my might, I want to be there for
somebody else and contribute towards there healing process.”
So one day when you are
ill, don’t stick alone ailing in pain, invite lots of friends and friends of
friends. You don’t even need to send out invites, making your friends aware of
your condition is enough invite. You never know how quick you will get off that
sickbed just by an hour of listening to friends and sharing together in fun and
laughter. The power of friendship is
invaluable, no medicine can overpower it. And be careful to exercise an art of
gratitude for the time spent with you.
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