There are a myriad of truly terrible things in this world: war, greed, abuse in all forms and guises, environmental degradation, poverty, malnutrition, a bastardized political system run by traditional politicians, rape, an uninformed, uncaring public, apathetic intellectuals who hide behind their words and well-crafted essays, narcissism, the lack of integrity, whiny bitches, an ignorant homophobe who can't get past the words 'lesbian' and 'gay,' the lack of integrity in the workplace, a less than conducive investor climate, the stock market, cancer, hate, nepotism, corruption, power, various forms and manifestations of addiction, hunger, climate change, isolation, and mean people in every sense of the word.
The list is endless. Should I go on? Didn't think so.
There are also absolutely, amazingly wonderful things in this world: a steaming, frothy cup of coffee, junk food early in the morning, the feel of the sun hitting your face, the warmth of your partner's hand, a bear hug, finding love when you least expect it, a sunset, walking on the beach, the sounds of wine glasses clinking, clothes on your back, a roof above your head, sunlight after a particularly horrid thunderstorm, thunderstorms, open hearts, open minds, helping hands, laughter, giggle fits, make-up sex, making love, diversity and acceptance, reading, movie marathons, breakfast in bed, dancing in the moonlight, running in the rain, bare feet on wet grass, red stilettos and even redder lipstick, poetry, doodles and sketches, little notes held by irritatingly cute bears, I-love-you text messages, cuddling, a bottle of Red Horse with friends, lazy Sundays, sleeping in, tickles, smiles, friends, a good book worth re-reading and re-reading, scary stories, a girlfriend who can cook and iron clothes, stolen time, long drives, painting, listening to music, being sung to by your girlfriend and butterfly kisses.
I could continue, but the point is there are truly terrible and amazing things in this world. We know them. And live with them.
But today, I am entering the third week of a truly horrible thing: a cold (maybe, just maybe allergic rhinitis) that I swear is causing my slow and painful demise.
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| Credit to Google Images |
This cold is not your ordinary 24-hour virus. Nor is it your garden variety common cold. No, Sir! It started innocently enough with sneezing fits spaced neatly apart to trick you into thinking that an allergen is just lurking at your desk. This cold took a week to break and gave me chills in the afternoon til late at night causing me to call in sick the next day. It has caused sneezing fits so bad that there is no muscle in my nose and face that doesn't hurt. This is a cold that has caused such terrible sneezing fits that I have earned several sympathetic looks and offerings of tissue paper at the office. I was told the folks across the room have started counting the number of times I can sneeze in under a minute.
I have been fighting a losing battle with this cold that I am deathly scared my nose will one day start dripping blood only for me to discover that clusters of polyps have taken residence in my swollen, irritated nasal passages. Benign little critters they are but they can be a lot of hell to contend with and if I'm really lucky, surgery is a welcome option. Whoopdeedoo!
This cold has been fed with one too many tablets of paracetamol and vitamin c --- I have taken to chugging 4 capsules a day. It's pathetic, really, me and this cold. It has taken my body and my nose hostage, I can put Rudolph to shame.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for a cold (or allergies lest I consider a nose transplant or live in a vacuum), only symptoms suppressors, which I am totally opposed to as they can have curious side effects. So in terms of recuperating from a cold or riding out my allergies, all I can really do is rest up a lot, drink water, keep warm and avoid stress (good luck!).
So I am going to do all of the above --- such as eat healthy, get back to training, pray fervently for urgent editing requests to abate --- and hope to be back to normal sometime in the near future and also be back on track to be able to reflect on the truly terrible and truly wonderful things in this world of ours, like life without a horrid cold (or allergies).
