Today, as I lay there half-dead on the couch, checking on work emails, browsing Twitter, the WordPress reader, and the news, I came to the realization that maybe this sickness that’s overtaken me (and my whole family – that’s just how it is with kids) is God’s way of reminding me that I’m human.
We are mortal; we need sleep; we need food and water; we need rest. In a world that’s always go, go, go, and myself as one the worst culprits of constant work and worry, this sickness is perhaps a blessing in disguise.
My life is currently constant havoc: I’m now four years into my Ph.D. and have two energetic kids, a wife who has foregone a bright career in engineering to care for them, a tiny 859 square foot single bedroom condo in a metropolis, and a paycheck that puts us well below the U.S. poverty line. On top of that, I’m a hobby-addict. I need several outlets for my busy-body self: this blog, photography, playing guitar, hiking, etc.
Monday evening, this sickness hit me hard, and all the business suddenly came to a screeching halt. All the technical paper writing, experiments in the lab, commute by train, and my hobbies suddenly became secondary to the simple goal of getting well and coping with my symptoms. (The only thing that can’t stop when sickness hits a mom or dad is caring for the kids, of course.)
We are only human, no matter how invincible we act throughout our busy days. The rule of moderation applies not only to food and drink, but also to the business of life.
I’m calling it short on this one; I’ve got rest and healing to embrace.
I see you’re still writing though. That’s me, writing is my rest. I have to be nigh unto death to not feel like picking up the computer and pecking away. I like your theory, God reminds us we’re only human in many ways,reeling us in and gently putting us in our place, so we remember who we owe everything to.