Sick and Happy?

I have recently experienced the nasty, dreaded flu. It started at the end of January and was a little past full bloom on the first Tuesday of February when my “Spark Your Happy” workshop meets. Teaching that workshop really does spark my happy place. I didn’t want to miss it. We only meet once a month. Even though I felt terrible, I knew I could pull myself together for a few hours. I rationalized that if I kept my distance so as not to infect others and only presented part of my material, I could make it at least half way through the three-hour program.

I drove 50 minutes to the Sun City Library in Menifee, lifted my wheeled cart from the back of the SUV, and walked in. One of the participants, who also is a friend of mine, looked at me and before I even set my stuff down, she said, “My God, she’s got it.” Evidently, this bug was no stranger to the few people assembled there. It had been making the rounds in the library. Shirley, the adult programs director, sent me home.

Once I started to feel better, I began taking my walks again. Flu didn’t like that and returned with a vengeance. Somewhere in the nooks and folds of my mind—you know, that Inner Voice thing—I heard, “Bev. You still need to rest. Don’t rush it.” But, you see, I didn’t want to listen to my Voice as it did not correspond with my plan. My plan included increasing my walking minutes from 20 or 30 minutes to 40 or 60. We are getting ready to go to Italy this spring, and I know I need to be in shape to walk up stairs, walk miles through museums and churches, not to mention eating what I understand is the best food available on earth.

Yet, by not listening to my Voice, I found myself once again in bed snuggled under sheets, blankets and two comforters because I couldn’t get warm. I am a voracious reader, so I piled books on my nightstand, after all, if I was going to be sick, I might as well catch up on my reading. But the novels became more indistinct as mounds of snotty Kleenex grew and surrounded them.

Two rounds of antibiotics, numerous homeopathic remedies, Neti Pot rinses, and quarts of tea made with apple cider vinegar and raw honey, plus with the passage of an entire month, I finally feel as though I have licked this illness. While I’m still not functioning at 100%, at least I have a little bit of energy to visit friends, complete our income taxes, take my mother to lunch, and do some writing.

So, how does this relate to happiness? Well, sugar biscuits. Surely you can understand how delighted I am to feel healthy once again. I also feel more empathy for those people suffering long-term critical illnesses. With new awareness, and even though they are strangers, adding healing prayers for critically ill people gives me a sense of peace.

When we reach out to all of humanity with compassion, we somehow deposit a little bit of contentment, healing, and peace into our own vessels of happiness. Try it. Together, we can make the world a better place.