ON THE UPSWING

It was just the common cold. That's it. Nothing life threatening or catastrophic. 3 days of real sickness at max. Starting with a scratchy feeling somewhere in the throat, and ending with globs of clear goo shooting out of dry rubbed raw nostrils. In those 3 days I felt like I was all of mankind. I was experiencing all of the struggles to get through this life that came with having a human brain. The despair, agony, gloom, and cruelness of being alive was on full display within. In the swimming thoughts of day 2 I had a thought that to have the so called 'common cold' is to tap into the 'common consciousness' of all human beings. I felt slightly off, completely confused, and ready to accept whatever fate had in store for any given moment. Then suddenly and miraculously, while shuffling to my car after a nightmarish day at work, I felt slightly better. The throat scratch had left my feeble mortal shell, and most likely moved on to some other poor soul. I was on the upswing. From that moment forth it was a glorious 3rd act to a gruesome play. Where I was the star and it was time to conquer the pesky antagonist that had been plaguing the townspeople. Food started to taste like tastes again, the air that was everywhere for the taking was finally able to reach my lungs freely, and the continuous throbbing in my skull had finally quit its ebb and flow. I was free to go back to casual life among the healthy masses. That is the glorious and heartbreaking truth about the common cold. It's just a glimpse at a diagnosis. Then the cure comes along just as the sickness did and the body realigns its chemical composition. Now I am realigned. And for this fleeting moment this morning I can really appreciate the lack of a sickness within. Taking nothing for granted. There are many who have to live every day in sickness. Those who will never see an upswing until it is all over. It is my hope that their end will feel more like hitting a screaming line drive home run to the right field corner to win game 7. Swift and free of all pain.