apres les virus la gratitude

The last week was not a good one. I have been whipped like a sick dog, walked over, bitch-slapped and sicked-on by something I couldn't even see (hmm reminds me of some of my ex-boyfriends) and it's all going to end with me having something I don't want pushed down my throat (yep, that's familiar too). In short - I caught a virus. In just 12 hours - I went from having a small cold to vomiting so hard I had to hold onto the toilet bowl to stop myself being thrown across the bathroom by the force of the heaving. I haven't left the house in 8 days. And I can't even think of drinking coffee.

The doc has no idea what it is. But he dosed me effectively and and has recommended a gastroscopy to try and get a picture of my insides. Lucky me.

No really. Lucky me. This week has given me a deep lesson in gratitude. I can't imagine what it must be like to get that sick and to have no bed to go to, no warmth to cover you. No roof over your head to keep you dry. No toilet in walking distance. No fresh water, no access to a doctor, no money for medicine, no brother to look after you, no family or friends to call and check on you, No fresh foods to help rebuild your strength.

The lack of any one of those would have made the last 8 days hard. The lack of half of them - a nightmare. The lack of all of them unthinkable.

And so many people live without these things. I've got a touch of the after-virus blues right now. And those thoughts make me a bit teary. And a lot grateful.