I was sick this week. In the last year I’ve gotten a lot better at being a good sick person, taking the time to sleep, drink plenty of fluids, and generally let my body do its healing thing, but I sure don’t like the whole business of being sick.
Because I turn into a pansy when I’m sick, dramatically moaning and feeling sorry for myself (okay, it’s not quite that bad), it often makes me [melodramatically] think about the only things that matter in the world. Seriously. I hate being sick so much that it’s always an instant reality check about what’s truly important. Suddenly, all I care about in the whole world is sleep, food, fresh water, and receiving loving care [ie: food and lots of sympathy] from Benjamin. I don’t care about my friends, the city I love living in, the company I am happy to be working for, the dog that I love dearly, or any of the other usual enjoyments, loves and interests in my life.
It got me to thinking... maybe I would do well to live like I am sick a little more often. No, I don’t mean that I should be so self-absorbed and lacking in care for my friends and my dog; but that the level of self-care I am willing to give myself is ratcheted way up during illness, only to decline again when I am well. What if I lived life with enough balance to push myself a little less, slow down a little more, and spend ample time in the company of those that I treasure most. What if I remembered to drink water as a means to care for my body in times of wellness as I do when I am sick, instead of forgetting, or seeing it as an interruption to all of the other things on my personal agenda.
Living life as a minimalist has helped tremendously with bringing me closer to center, away from a draining life too heavy on the end of self-sacrifice. But being sick this week helped bring clarity that I can do better. Striking a balance between the values practiced in thought and deed during illness, and the self-sacrifice and personal negligence that is characteristic during wellness is the key to a healthier me who has more to give to others in turn.