Thought of the Day 04.30.08.

Being sick is a strange experience. It always feels a little like my body is staging a revolt against me. My nose runs. My muscles ache. I sneeze or cough and can’t make it stop. And it always feels like I’m trying to run through a big pile of Jell-0. But this sense of being out of control is an illusion.

It’s not as though I’m normally in control of such things. It’s just that my involuntary body processes don’t get noticed when they’re working as I would like. I’m not less in control, I’m just less pleased with their behavior. And, oddly, they’re not even malfunctioning. Most of the unpleasant effects of a serious cold are really just the body’s way of working correctly to kill and expel enemy soldiers. So, although my body feels like it’s in rebellion, it’s actually doing precisely what it should to keep me alive.

And in the middle of such misery, it’s sometimes difficult to keep this proper perspective and be grateful toward my body rather than angry at it…and also the wise Designer who gave me this excellent gift.