Help yourself
One of the advantages of a long recuperation following a major health setback is you get to observe little things from which you can learn great life lessons.
Thus it was that once I was laid up after a major surgery in the abdomen region and in spite of the prescribed two weeks’ complete bed rest, I had to ambulate. Which meant I had to take that walk to the rest room and to the dining area.
While I welcomed these small excursions from my bed, the pain involved in rising up from a lying down position to a sitting up position was unbearable. My caretaker would, in all good intentions, gently push me from the back or pull me forwards, but it was not something I felt comfortable with. I couldn’t do it at one go and required breaks and my helper could never gauge the correct force to apply, or when to apply.
To sort this out, we decided that I would do the rising on my own while my helper would place a palm on my back to keep me from falling back or give me an arm that I can hold on to. There would be no pushing or pulling.
This process, though it seemed difficult and maybe even unsympathetic, actually helped me heal faster. In less than two weeks I was able to sit up without help.
Isn’t this how life should be too? When we fall down, we expect others to help us up. The disappointment occurs when others are not able to give us the right push or pull. Instead, if we did the rising ourselves, with a little support from a friend, we would not only rise faster but stronger too.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Feb 3, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/b771dd1d-8239-4e76-af9d-2ee5852fedba.aspx
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
Thus it was that once I was laid up after a major surgery in the abdomen region and in spite of the prescribed two weeks’ complete bed rest, I had to ambulate. Which meant I had to take that walk to the rest room and to the dining area.
While I welcomed these small excursions from my bed, the pain involved in rising up from a lying down position to a sitting up position was unbearable. My caretaker would, in all good intentions, gently push me from the back or pull me forwards, but it was not something I felt comfortable with. I couldn’t do it at one go and required breaks and my helper could never gauge the correct force to apply, or when to apply.
To sort this out, we decided that I would do the rising on my own while my helper would place a palm on my back to keep me from falling back or give me an arm that I can hold on to. There would be no pushing or pulling.
This process, though it seemed difficult and maybe even unsympathetic, actually helped me heal faster. In less than two weeks I was able to sit up without help.
Isn’t this how life should be too? When we fall down, we expect others to help us up. The disappointment occurs when others are not able to give us the right push or pull. Instead, if we did the rising ourselves, with a little support from a friend, we would not only rise faster but stronger too.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Feb 3, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/b771dd1d-8239-4e76-af9d-2ee5852fedba.aspx
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
Published on February 03, 2018 02:45
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