Thoughts on Healing

Any sort of illness always makes me grateful for my body’s ability to be restored to good health. I’ve become increasingly aware that not everyone is so lucky.

I remember when as a child I first learned about hemophiliacs – persons whose blood doesn’t clot normally. It had never occurred to me that a skinned knee or a slip of a knife could be fatal for some people, whereas for me it just meant a Band-aid. Can you imagine going through life in terror of even a small accident that would result in breaking your skin?

We hear increasingly of people whose auto-immune systems are compromised. Maybe it’s the result of the chemicals we have introduced into our environment. Maybe it’s the bi-product of a viral infection that leaves the body compromised. But whatever the cause, the result has to be terrifying. A bout of the flu or a bacterial infection or the exposure to any of the thousands of viruses that are out there could bring on an illness with prolonged symptoms or even death if there were no possible intervention. In any event, treatment of successive illnesses often demands stronger and stronger antibiotics. There comes a point at which there is nothing stronger.

So I feel fortunate that the only reminder of my recent illness is feeling a little tired and welcoming an afternoon nap.