Do you ever feel invincible? Some of you reading this know exactly what I’m talking about. You boast that you rarely, if ever, get sick and when you do, you’re back up and at it in a couple of days. Nothing can slow you down. You’re feeling fit as a Hollywood super hero. Downright invincible! Look out though, because even super heroes can have a bad day.
I felt invincible until I wasn’t. This got me thinking about the coronavirus and feelings of invincibility. My story starts with pneumonia.
About 3 years ago, I came down with pneumonia. It was a Thursday and we had a dance to attend. I didn’t feel well so my wife Mary, said we should stay home. I insisted that we go because I didn’t want to miss the special activity at our local dance club. As the night progressed I got sicker and sicker.
The next morning I attempted to drag myself to work. Hey, I had clients to train and I had to lead by example by showing up! I wasn’t going to let a little sickness slow me down. Unfortunately, I could barely get off the sofa and could only walk a few steps without feeling like I was going to pass out. This time I listened to my wife (which she reminds me of from time to time to time...) and decided I needed to stay home.
The next morning she drove me to Urgent Care because I was so sick. I was diagnosed as having bronchitis. Later one of my clients who is a Nurse Practitioner, correctly diagnosed me as having pneumonia and wrote me a prescription. I still thank her to this day!
I couldn’t buy a good night’s sleep because I couldn’t breathe and was coughing like crazy. All I could do during the day, was sleep on and off, propped up on pillows so that I could breath. I prayed that my medicine would soon kick in!
I felt good that I only missed a couple of days of work. When I did drag myself back to work, those days were damn rough. Very low energy, coughing, and unable to exercise because I was too weak. It took weeks for me to fully recover. I was shocked at how pneumonia had knocked me on my butt.I rarely had been sick and never missedwork due to an illness. I wasn't invinsible afterall.
When the coronavirus hit, it got me to thinking about my bout with pneumonia. Believe you me, I wouldn’t wish pneumonia on anyone and I’ve been told that compared to the coronavirus, pneumonia can be a lightweight. I definitely wouldn’t wish this virus on anyone.
Even the invincible can get their butts kicked by this virus. I've read stories about very fit people getting the coronavirus. Even young people. This virus is like the honey badger, it doesn’t give a fu*k who you are or how fit you are. The healthier you are, the better you’re able to deal with the coronavirus, pneumonia or any other illness or disease. But, don't count on this as your only shield.
So realizing that I’m not invincible, has humbled me a bit. During this virus I try to be smart, not paranoid. I sanitize, wash my hands, practice social distancing and wear a mask when it’s smart to do so. If these measures can help prevent someone else from contracting this virus from me, I’m happy to take them. Like I said, I wouldn’t wish an illness worse than pneumonia on anyone.
Overall, I enjoy excellent health most of the time. But, I’m no super hero and I’m definitely NOT invincible. Neither are you. Any of us can be knocked down physically (and mentally). Even Superman had to be smart and stay away from kryptonite.
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