We take a lot of things for granted in our life. Some examples of things we’ve taken for granted recently- going out to the store whenever we want, going to school, work, out to eat or (without a mask). Movies and concerts were cancelled and other public events that have been tradition were also cancelled. We’ve taken these things for granted never thinking how easily they could be stripped away or reduced. However, for those of us in the chronic illness and chronic pain community, life didn’t change very much during this crazy time except for the necessity of wearing a mask. At least for myself, I only felt a little bump of change to my life, whereas healthy people felt a definite jolt of change.
Why do we take certain things for granted in the first place? Sometimes, it’s just because a certain thing has always been there. Many people take for granted their parents, because they are always there- until they are not- and then we realize what we have lost. We take for granted our freedoms and liberties because they are always there, until suddenly we are forced to walk around with masks, and are restricted in our movements even if it is for the safety of those around us. We’ve heard the chorus of many who feel their personal freedoms have been violated. But, what about your health? Is your health something that you take for granted? Is it something you feel will always be there? Or maybe you don’t feel like there is a threat until you are much older, say your 60’s or 70’s?
If you are lucky to be healthy, take it from someone who isn’t, to not take your health for granted. I can’t say that I was ever “healthy.” I came into this world with sickness and I grew up with asthma, chronic sinus infections, allergies, chronic migraines and chronic bronchitis. It felt like every time the leaves began to change, I was already sniffling and sneezing, which would, in turn, affect my asthma and then would invariably turn into a sinus infection that would eventually manifest itself into bronchitis. Later on, I would develop structural issues; ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gluten intolerance, Crohn’s and a bevvy of mental health issues from anxiety to bipolar. Most days I accept that this is my life. Most days I power through doctor visits, blood work, infusions, tests, pain and symptoms that keep me from ever feeling truly great. But there are those days that I lament my body and its various weaknesses and I wish with all my heart, that I was healthy.
I’m very active in social media because of blogging and I see the active lives of many people I once knew or currently know, who are my age or maybe a little older or younger and I wish I could be doing some of the things they are doing. I wish I was able to go hiking; I wish I could go running like I used to; I wish I could plan a vacation without worrying that my health will get in the way of me and my husband having a good time; I wish long car rides didn’t hurt me so we didn’t have to stop so much on my account; I wish I was able to be more active and I wish there weren’t so many days that I dreaded getting up. It’s painful to know that so many things you once enjoyed have been stripped from your life. It’s difficult to reconcile how things were to how things are.
If you are healthy, don’t stop taking care of yourself. Don’t become negligent of your health because you think you have time. I may not have been in stellar health to begin with, but I certainly never thought things would evolve to where they are now and it was always something I envisioned would happen when I was old, like my grandmother. If you have your health, fight to keep it for as long as you can. It’s true that you can do everything right and still find yourself with some illness, but I figure it can’t hurt that you’ve done your best to take care of yourself. Life is too short as it is. Live your best life and keep yourself as healthy as you can so you can enjoy it until you are a ripe, old age.
