Sick!

Sick.

That's right; I've been sick.

And I am totally sick of it.

Started a month ago. That's right, a month ago. I have prided myself for years on being able to force out an oncoming sickness within a day. And I've been able to do just that. Whenever some sort of cold or sneezing has come upon me, I totally used the power of my mind, the power of my breath and the power of a surrendered rest to heal me.

Once I even was able to heal myself within an hour, when I HAD TO ... since I was at Magic Mountain and there was no time to waste on being sick. On that trip to Magic Mountain, I took a one-hour time-out in my car and did that deep surrendered rest that has helped get me back on my feet ... and back on the rides.

But this time - staring in early February - was different. And it sucks!

I think I let my guard down. And it cost me. I went on a binge - gluten, sugar, tons of food and then lack of sleep. This combination allowed my immune system to be in such a weakened state that I was susceptible to the evil forces of nature, to the Devil itself. At least that's what it felt like.

It started out with a bit of muscle aches. This turned into a three-day fever, which turned into days of little food as my hunger left me. There were days of a headaches behind both of my eyes, then days where I felt I could operate at about five percent capacity. I then started to feel it in my chest. Oh no, not the chest. This is the worst place that a sickness can hit me. It's here where I start to use the phrase "Oh, here comes the night." This is an ominous thought, seeing as the night brings uncontrollable coughing. It's the sort of cough that is relentless, especially when I lay my body down to rest.

WAIT A MINUTE! Let's figure this out. If you lay down to rest, and you automatically start coughing, then that means you never sleep. Oh man, this can't be good. And it wasn't. Imagine this: the only way I could get an ounce of sleep was to sleep sitting up. That meant creating a place on the floor next to the bed where I could prop up six pillows and attempt to fall asleep. With only the handy PC playing "Friends" episodes next to me as some solace, I was set for night upon night of torture as I coughed uncontrollably.

Over the three weeks of coughing (and I'm still not completely over it), I ended up losing 17 pounds. That is most likely 15 pounds of phlegm alone.

And so here I am, much lighter, still coughing (but not as much), but with a newfound appreciation for a few things:

1. Rest and sleep
2. The love and care of my friends and my ever-present wife
3. The need to fully boost and support the immune system
4. Health itself

Health itself! Yes, it's not the newest concept on the planet. But it sure is freaking true. Without health, you are nothing. You are nowhere. Without health, I'm a slumping, gasping blob on my bedroom floor. Without health, I cannot write; I cannot work; I cannot give; I cannot live my life purpose; I cannot live.

Let us raise our glasses high in honor of our bodies and our health ... and all that it takes to keep ourselves at our optimum health. The glass? A glass of water in one hand, with some echinacea and golden seal in the other. That's right. Let's learn what serves our body, and then give it what it needs. We are going to need this body if we are going to accomplish what we want in this life.

Yes, it sucks to be sick. But it sure has taught me a very important lesson along the way. May I get over this cough, but may I never forget where I got it ... and what it takes to keep it away...


James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer when he can ever stop coughing. He can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.