The Bare Essentials

When I was in the sixth grade, I tried to change schools. This new school had an entrance exam and was supposed to accept only one transfer, so I studied pretty much all year for this one exam.

On the day of the exam, I woke up with a fever. A high fever.

I remember that I was so sick I could barely hold my head up during the exam. So much so that the monitor came over and told me I had to sit straight (she thought I was trying to cheat, I assume.) I normally tend to finish exams well under the required time cause I go way way fast. And then I review my answers, change a bunch of stuff around, and that’s it.

This time, I had to go very slowly because my attention span wasn’t being cooperative. I took my time with each question and went super-slowly. I finished just about on time.

Since I was so sick, both my mom and I assumed that was it. A year of preparation for one terrible day was such a bad ratio and, alas, I had been unlucky and that was that.

But, of course, that’s not how the story ends.

I got into the school. In the end, they decided to take two people in and I was number two. The girl who was number one (it was a girls’ school) got into another school and chose to go there instead. So I would have ended up getting in even if they only took one person.

Over the years, I’ve thought about that exam a lot. How being sick is what might have led me to getting in. The transfer to that school likely changed the course of my life. I am not sure I would have ended up here in the United States without it (though maybe I would have since I was very personally driven to end up here no matter what.) More than anything, that day was a reminder to me that sometimes when I don’t know how to do it, the universe has a way of slowing me down.

I’ve been quite sick for the last two days. I seem to have come down with a nasty cold and have constant headaches and cannot do much without a lot of effort. Thankfully, this came at the tail end of a long weekend where I was quite productive but still, it sucks to be sick.

And even though I hate what it does to my schedule and my attention span, I’ve also learned to respect and pay attention to what it does to my life. Two significant things: One is that it makes me appreciate being healthy so much. I am lucky enough to be relatively healthy and I don’t really think too much about it. Until I don’t have it anymore. And when I am sick, I can’t even remember what healthy felt like. It seems endless. It is a good reminder to cheer for each day that I am not in pain.

Secondly. being sick gets things down to the bare essentials. The only things that get done are what really really needs to get done. Everything else goes by the wayside. And the world doesn’t end because of it. I find these days to be a good reminder of what is essential. What matters more to me than anything else.

What can’t I let go of no matter what? What is important for my soul regardless of how my body feels?

The bare essentials.

It’s a good reminder to have. Because we often get caught up in all that has to get done. Chores, todo lists, obligations, even personal todo list. Blogs that have to be caught up on. Messages to return. Etc. etc. But in the end most of those things can wait. Some can even wait forever.

The sickness takes away the sense of urgency. It forces you to slow down. It forces you to reconsider what must get done. It forces you to think more carefully.

It forces you to let go.

It’s unfortunate that the universe has to force me to take a break every now and then but, alas, I’ll take a message from the universe no matter what shape it comes in. (Well….maybe not always but that’s another conversation for another time.)