Never an Island!

Blog 164:  

          Waking up feeling unwell is the pits.   Your body's malaise drags your mind to incapability.  You couldn't easily decide whether to get up or linger a bit in bed hoping that a small, quick stretching of arms and legs, a prayer, a ritualistic body movement of sort, could improve what sluggishness you first encounter.

What do you do?  Either you rely on time-tested remedies from Aunt Sally or Grandma Atang to ward off the ill-feeling or decide to get quick professional medical help.  Fortunately, it is a business day week; both public and private centers for health are open.  Just your lucky day!  With spare, accessible funds to draw from and use, relief could be right around the corner.  For those less fortunate, waiting on a miracle and charitable assistance, aggravate just that ... un-wellness.

You decide to use your personally stashed resources for rainy days such as today's day. You seek assistance from your local network of family and acquaintances, a tricycle driver, your aunt or cousin, maybe a member of your nuclear family, for example, who could take you to the public med center (the trip to the private practice last week cost you an arm and a leg, and at the site, and as if that were not enough aggravation, you were made to wait for hours since treatment was first come, first served! Because your accompanying person has "pull from the inside," soon as you enter the premises, you get attended by the administrative assistant right in front of five, six hurting, and ill folks waiting patiently for their turn.  You ignore the preferential treatment you get,  so to say.  You couldn't care.  You assume a selfish stance because your goal is to get yourself be seen ... attended by the physician on duty right there and then.  In a bit, you really get first class attention.  The doctor listens to your health concerns, reviews you previous diagnosis and recommended treatment received from a private, pricier practitioner.  He gives you the routine examination ... he asks you to breathe in/breathe out while he listens to his good, old stethoscope; he moves on to nasal, throat, then ear exams.  Shortly, he matches and re-evaluates his diagnosis with what the other doctor found.  Finally, he shares his best call ...  and he explains what needs to be done on your health concerns.  He then makes suggestions on medication changes.  He reiterates the previous physician's healthy, nursing food and fluid intake recommendations.  He writes for you - few prescriptions to pick up 'free of charge' from the center and he adds one or two more that you must get from a local pharmacy.  He sends you off; you do your utmost best, garnished by gratitude and thanksgiving, to say goodbye.

Your day-to-day concerns, what ever they are somehow get taken care of by people you know or don't know.  Reflect on that ... and be thankful that "no man is an island!"  When you get off course, when you get arrogant or proud, events and people in and around your life pick you up anyway.  In awe and reverence for even the least and miniscule gestures of lifting you higher, and getting you to return in your better self, never ... ever ... forget that you could not do all of which you were unconditionally afforded.   Never assume that you think you could do all in all on your very own!