count your blessings

i was recently misdiagnosed with a rather serious ailment - which i later re-confirmed to be false (or at odds) at a different medical institution - but the bad news is that my latest blood test showed that i have something else but indeterminate at this time.

so i will be going to the hospital again this week for another round of blood test (which i abhor) as the so-called specialist (in the general physician area) didnt think that i needed prompt medical attention. but i would say i know my body well enough to know i am not feeling well. i have been lethargic and sickly for the past month and i've taken so many days of MC leave considering it's only the fourth month of the year.

my cough finally went away after 3 weeks but i still hack occasionally. i still feel feverish at least twice (or thrice) on weekly basis. i wish i know what is wrong with me - or maybe i should be careful with what i wish for?

so i have been at home resting and rereading the old issues of my favourite magazine O (the Oprah Magazine). one of the few columns i like to read is by Lisa Kogan who is the resident columnist of the said magazine. she is a cross between Lucille Ball, Roseanne Barr and David Sedaris meshed up together (no... that's not how she looks, i meant to say she writes in those three distinct styles) to create a fantastic humourist cum writer. i particularly like her December 2010's piece on looking for miracles - at the least expected place and time.

it all started with her daughter, who was only 6 years old but did not believe in angels and those stuff of fairy tales anymore. seeing her daughter having grown up too fast for her own good, she vowed to make an outlandish effort to help her kid regain her sense of awe with the world, that is to piece back together the rose tinted glasses which was sorely unraveling from her delicate frames of youth. therefore, she came out with the idea to record a monthly miracle sighting and/ or encounter and later compile them to be shared on the last month of the year - because Christmas which falls in December is always about goodness and miracles.

so it was indeed heartwarming to read the stories of Lisa's 'monthly miracles'. i shall not elaborate more about them, but if you want to read the whole article, please go to http://www.oprah.com/. go to O mag section and try search by typing 'Lisa Kogan' and 'December issue'.

for me, the lesson learned here is to try to see the blessings behind even the bleakest things that happened. it would be hardest when the bleakest happened to you, nevertheless, you should the see it this way : at least i am alive, at least there was no 9 magnitude earthquake, at least i still have my dignity, at least i still have the support of my loved ones and so on and so forth.

you need to bring yourself up by thinking that even if it felt bad that it made you want to crawl into a hole and hibernate for an indefinite time, the particular horrifying/ mortifying/ terrifying/ embarassing incident is NOT the worst (even if it felt that way, rest assured it is not). therefore, count your blessings. but do not do this by putting others down.

and be thankful to the Almighty when you wake up again in the morning. :)