Ben Dussault

I forget how healthy I am till I get sick. I would like nothing more than to hold on to to the thought that my fortune lies in the fact that I get to do this life thing without any major complications. It just so happens that both my legs, arms, lungs, eyes, ears (although some would argue that one specifically) work. It also just so happens that I treat it like it’s no big deal. What is wrong with that statement and what is wrong with me that it takes others and their lack of good health to help me remember?

I can see how it’s a reality for some of us to be distracted by every day happenings. We aren’t expected to notice all details that life presents because other priorities take precedence. A reality that accepts the act of forgetting a healthy beating heart or  steady blood flow until it takes a toll for the worst, is a bust.

I really can’t fully remember what it felt like to be ill. If I could I would hold onto that thought just so I could constantly see what it’s like to be at the top of my game right here, right now. I don’t want to dwell on the past but if I think back, I can recall a year of never knowing what my diagnosis was. I knew being in and out of clinics while my family and loved ones worried for me. Who can find time to worry when there’s not even enough time in a day to feel well? I know some people that have made an art out of worrying and it’s a show that must not go on, ever.

Maybe we don’t need to go around bragging about health but some praise is good. To feel light about life is a gift. Breathing in without feeling like we’ve soaked up half of the world’s worries can be difficult but it’s not unattainable. There are momentary pauses, reflections throughout the day reminding us to stay fresh, soak in as much as we can and break from the act of “living” like everyone else. We all deserve to visit our ideal life once in a while and quit the one we helped make up.

We are in debt to life and I personally owe mine a huge favor. My laundry list of “IOU’s” to it is massive and that in itself deserves constant attention. Life’s already given me so much good and some bad that denying it my full living potential would be extremely selfish. Letting it slip by bit by bit would turn into something more than I’m ready to ever be ready for.

Let’s think about those for a moment that find it hard to see the bright side of life because of illness or pain. Let’s do what we can to improve our life today so that we may find strength and time to be there for the ones that need it the most tomorrow.

This goes out to the ones I care for that are travelling rough terrain. I’ll do what I can to help pave the way. I’m truly sorry you’re feeling far from well.