Hike #73
Hike #74
Hike #75
Hike #76
Hike #77
When I was in seventh grade, I got pink eye. My eyes reddened, alternating between gooey and crusty, and I missed a few days of school. On my first day back, I handed my excuse note to my Texas history teacher—a tiny women whose name I can't remember—and she remarked that pink eye was typically a girl's disease. “Why?,” I asked. Because girls share makeup and thus spread the disease among themselves. I felt awkward as she told me this.
Now, twenty-four years later, I went to New York for a few days and came back with pink eye. Pink eye is nothing like what I remember. First of all, it's an upper respiratory infection that happens to also affect the eyes. My first symptoms were a sore throat, headache, and sinus infection—the same as with a cold. Only after taking a few days off from work did I happen to look in the mirror, and I was startled to discover I had pink eye. (Laura was still in New York and thus unable to alert me to the horridness of my swollen red eye sooner.)
Here's another new thing about pink eye: being sick for three weeks. After the first week, I thought I had recovered—notice the ‘A’ Mountain hikes above—but my optimism proved unfounded and I soon thereafter relapsed—the details of which aren't worth writing about.
It brings to mind something Oliver Sacks once wrote: it's not so much the person having the disease as it is the disease having the person.
8 comments:
Truly sorry to hear that the wretched disease has you right now and hoping it can let go soon. When in the past I have complained to friends who are practicing medicine "why can't we at least rid the world of pink eye? We got rid of the black plague and chicken pox for the most part." I have been told that it was more like the common cold than other diseases in that there are simply too many variations/mutations of it to come up with one cure-all. It's kinda like trying to eliminate all potentially violent extremists in the world I guess. And yes, that is the only degree to which I will touch upon a current event hot button as I prefer to only voice opinions on current events related to one of the many blogs I participate on.
Bobby, does it count for anything that the occasional cold or flu makes you appreciate full health? Yes, I know, I'm asking the guy who would pay one year's salary to never get the cold or flu again. Just curious.
Craig, that is a very good question. I wonder if it points out differences of mentality as I seem to often think that I prefer the even keel routine as a common state of being, whereas others seem to prefer the highs and lows. I know some of the best feelings of health I've ever experienced have been after bouts of illness. That stated, I too prefer highs and lows, but only when on my terms. For instance, I actually like to make myself hurt and sometimes what I would consider sharp pain or thorough exhaustion, but only when I am ready. Cold's and flu's are just too inconvenient with their unscheduled arrivals and pink eye, man, pink eye makes me really angry.
Rambling on a bit more, probably as a way to tell you something I've been meaning to share for a while now just to get your thoughts on it: Since April or early May I have been taking cold-as-the-water-will-get showers every day because I read an article saying it was the best way to activate the brain at the start of the day etc. and I just thought I would try it. Well, then it became a bit of a personal challenge, which I thought I'd end as the weather got colder, well, I'm still doing it. This would be an example of doing something many would consider undesirable, but as a choice, so I continue to do it. I would think most people would prefer one random case of pink eye (although not the 3 week negative affects you're dealing with) a year rather than cold showers every day, but not me...not that one prevents the other, but who knows, I haven't had pink eye since I started it and if no one knows how to eliminate it how do we know I haven't found a way to prevent it? Stay tuned.
As for my feelings on the cold showers as a way of improving life...well, I haven't found any specific benefits to my ability to think/react that I don't also experience whenever starting the day with exercise, so in that regard I'd consider the practice to be ill advised. However, I have been very pleased with the fact that my time in the shower has been significantly reduced and I actually think I emerge cleaner due to the fact that I am hyper focused on efficiency and systematically cleaning all of my body whereas the warm showers I used to take I believe now were prone to absentminded cleaning, which was surely inferior. I also do feel awesome once I've dried off and start to warm up again, so, at least for now I plan to continue. [NOTE: My regular "every day" practice is not a "streak" because perhaps 5 times since starting I have felt the need to take a warm shower as I was either muddy or had some other reason to do so.]
Bobby - your cold shower practice will come in handy if you ever dye your hair. I've been taking cold showers the one to two times a week that I wash my hair to decrease the fading of the color. I have become a pro at doing sun salutation in the shower (ie: bending backwards so that only my hair goes under the frigid water).
NEL, ah, an advantage I have that could help me in at least one life situation...even though it is unlikely I will ever use it i am glad to know of it. Thank you. As for your shower yoga, good luck and be careful...I say just save up some money for the re-design :).
Bobby, I'm impressed. I want an update on your cold-showering on the other side of winter.
I meant to type "re-dye"
Will do
Post a Comment