THIS WEEK, I found myself unable to express my usual
opinions as I have been suffering from a severe bout of the cold. Aching all over, and with a throat which felt
as if I was constantly swallowing razor blades, the past few days have seen me
confined to the luxury of my bed, waited upon hand and foot by my girlfriend,
upon whom I have become increasingly reliant.
As an active male
in his early 30s who is used to walking several miles each day, my recent debilitation
brought home just how dependant we are on maintaining good health. As pleasurable as it sounds to be able to
effectively sleep for two days solid, the inactivity associated with being
virtually bedridden left me in an indescribable state of boredom interspersed
with bouts of pain.
So used to
throwing on my jacket and heading out to the pub of an evening, my recent
illness - whereby I couldn't even stand up without feeling queasy and dizzy -
reinforced just how fallible our bodies actually are. And I was only suffering from a cold!
The past few days
have made me reflect just how fortunate I am to be in relatively good physical
health for the majority of the time.
Until this cold struck, the thought never really crossed my mind of what
it would actually be like to be trapped in a state of permanent
immobility. Now that I am on the road to
recovery, I can only be thankful the past few days were a mere blip, and that I
shall soon be able to resume my normal routines. The same cannot be said for people with permanent
physical disabilities, who find themselves effectively trapped by
circumstance. My recent illness has given
me a miniscule insight into their suffering, as well as allowing me to
appreciate how very simple things, such as going for a walk in the park, are so
often by so many of us, simply taken for granted.
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