Currently Listening:Diamonds are Forever by Kanye and Jay-Z
This last Wednesday I spent my day in medical facilities. Let me take you through a run of my day, and then I’ll tell you the point. Sound good?
My morning kicked off by heading to my regular physician for a check so he could prescribe Maleria medication. He put me on Doxy, a medication used for the prevention for Maleria.
Then we(my mother and I) went to the Dentist. It has been LORD knows how long since I had a cleaning. While there I was informed that my wisdom teeth should come out soon. That is when an old fried walked in and we started talking about what I am currently doing. At that point I informed them that there is no way my teeth could come out before I leave on January 8th. At that time I was given a prescription for an anti-biodic to prevent an infection with my teeth.
After saying goodbye there was a rush to the Oklahoma County Health Department so I could get a yellow fever shot. (do you see a pattern…) We sit in with the nurse while she gives me a large stack of papers about each country that I will be visiting this next year. All the preventive measures there are and the culture customs to be aware of. She asks me if I have had a flu shot yet. I say no(I have never in my life had a flu shot, and to my knowledge I have never had the flu) she tells me I should get one since outside the US flu season is practically all year. I also find out that I need a polio booster. And finally she informs me that the Typhoid shot I received in June of 2011 for our trip to Cambodia is only a two year shot. I will be in the middle of Cambodia when my Typhoid shot runs out and cannot get another one till it does.
The theme, the pattern, the point is this: I spent my Wednesday trying to protect myself for the dirt of this world. I had a nurse tell me everything that could go wrong. And it strikes me how funny it is. We spend all kinds of money, time, energy, worry… to try and not get sick or hurt. How foolish we are. We’ll get sick on the race. We’ll probably get hurt. I could contract Maleria even if I take my meds, I might get Typhoid, I could even get AIDS…
It doesn’t scare me. I knew when I deposited that first 150$ that I wouldn’t always be safe. I could get hurt, sick, be in pain, or nothing at all could happen. I chose not to fear that. I chose to get up and live this life. A safe life is no life at all. I’m tired of living a safe life, a preventive life. I want to wallow in the dirt, the muck, feel some pain. And maybe God will show me something mindblowing. And who could really turn that down?
