Health really is all that matters

My friends and family could tell you that I’m a tough woman. I don’t go down easy. No matter how bad I feel, or how sick I am, I keep on keeping on. I’m not a quitter; my father instilled that value in me at a very young age. Never give up… Never surrender…

Sadly, at the ripe age of 79, my father did surrender to death. I witnessed him giving up and losing the desire to fight for his life as disease slowly took over his body. He stopped eating. He stopped caring. He basically let himself go. This could easily turn into a piece about the Quebec-run health system and its shortcomings, but it would basically take a book to relay, so I’ll leave it at that.

Over the last three months, my health has not been the best. I seem to catch everything that is thrown my way. The latest bout, last week, was a nasty stomach flu that landed me in the hospital for one night and in bed for 3 full days. Never, not even for my five (yes 5) c-sections, have I been bed-ridden for three days.

Because we have a big family, I purposely quarantined myself over those 3 days. I did not want to take any chances and pass on this nasty illness to anybody in the house, especially my little ones. Being limited to receiving only air hugs and blown kisses was pure torture. And seeing the pain in my children’s eyes from not being able to get their mommy hugs and kisses was heartbreaking. They are so little. They need me so much.

I tell you what… Being sick really helps put things into perspective. It makes you realize that really, all that matters in life is health. Health is at the start of everything. To enjoy anything, you need your health. To accomplish anything, you need your health. To take care of anyone, you need your health. It also shows you who really cares about you and who doesn’t. Who feels your absence and who couldn’t care less.

Over those three days, I admitted to myself that I do way too much. I sit on too many boards, I organize too many fundraisers, I take on too many clients, I tackle too many projects, I don’t say no enough. I need to slow down. I need to Breathe. My body is run down and it is telling me.

So for the summer, I am taking a break from the weekly editorials. I may write something here and there, if the urge to write or the topic can simply not be bypassed, but otherwise, I’ll see you back in September.

Have a fabulous one! Spend it well. Enjoy your families. Stay healthy.

Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering – an image of death.–Buddha