And the first one falls.
Unsurprisingly, it is me. I wish I could say I did not see this coming, but it is the story of my life. I try to do something fun, new, and adventurous, but then my body decides it wants to be in the spotlight and throws a fit. I do not want pity, but I do want to say a few things as a person who’s health is always in disarray.
Although I was here for half the trip, I still have not gotten to know many of you, but these things apply for all.
1. Trust yourself
If you feel like something is wrong, trust your gut. I know you guys have heard this a thousand times, but it is true especially when it comes to your health. If you feel like something is wrong, off, or abnormal, go to the doctor. You know your body best. This brings me to my second point.
2. Doctors come in all different shapes and sizes
There are good and bad doctors. I have too many stories of all the doctors who didn’t believe what I said, wanted to give me medication that they admitted wouldn’t work for me with some really bad side effects, told me it was my fault because I wasn’t moving every second of every day or eating perfect, would make me wait for an hour then only give me five minutes to where I am literally shouting questions down the hall while they are leaving, make a thirty minute appointment 4 HOURS because they kept talking about things that had no relevance to the appointment, etc. I could go on and on. The important point is that there are good doctors too. Yes, sometimes they are hard to find, but they are out there. I know there is sometimes a stigma of not liking male doctors, but let me tell you, my best doctor is a man. I have had terrible women and men doctors, but I have also had wonderful women and men doctors. As people always say, “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
3. Have standards
Just like in dating you have standards., have standards for doctors too. I have found doctors that listen to me, believe me, respect all my decisions, and never make me feel rushed. It may take you a little bit to find the right doctor for you, but it is worth it and makes a big difference.
4. Don’t take your health for granted
It is easy to do. We all take our health for granted at one point or another. Having good health is a luxury you don’t realize you have until you no longer have it. I was a fairly healthy kid until one day my body decided it didn’t like being healthy anymore. I honestly struggle to remember days where I lived a pain free and healthy life. As I’ve gotten older, my body tried out for more roles and got all the parts (some we’re still waiting to hear back from). Funny thing I have learned is: if you have one illness, you are more likely to get this other one which is more likely to get a different one and so on. It is like one big game of dominoes. My biggest pet peeve is hearing people say, “I wish I got hit by a bus, so I could sue, and be rich.” No honey, you don’t. No amount of money is worth the severe chronic pain you will be dealing with or the several other chronic or even terminal illnesses. No amount of money can buy you pain free days. No amount of money can make you healthy.
5. Take care of yourself / Be happy
Listen to your body and your mind. I have been talking about body health mainly, but all this applies to your mind’s health too. You cannot be happy if you don’t take both in consideration. Do what makes you smile, and don’t do things that you know will negatively affect you. If that means, sitting out of a activity because you need to stop and take a day, then do it. To be able to fully experience and enjoy this trip, you might need that day at some point. Don’t beat yourself up over missing one thing. I missed two weeks, and I have no regrets. Am I sad? Yes. Am I grateful for any experiences I had? Absolutely. We don’t choose how we feel mentally or physically. We do choose how we take care of ourselves. Take care of yourself like you would tell a loved one to take care of themself (I hope that makes sense).
Take advantage of this trip, but don’t take advantage of you. See everything you spent months researching or planning for. Experience the culture. Learn some french. Drink a lot of expressos. Eat a lot. Smile in the sun while you’re eating on the steps by the Seine River. Sit in front of the Notre Dame, and go to the little museum. Watch the fireworks light up the sky on Bastille Day. Sleep. Bask in some air conditioning. Have a movie night. Watch the sunset from the street. Put in your ear buds, and drown out the sound of your noisy neighbors. Journal. Read. Play some silly little game that makes you untroubled.
6. The end
I think that might be the end of the list. Sorry for this little rant, and hopefully, it all made sense. It is a weird goodbye post, but I’ll put all the normal stuff in a second. I am sure there are a lot of grammatical mistakes, but I am exhausted from the hectic day I had. If grammatical errors bother you, sorry it doesn’t bother me enough right now. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them. If you wish you never read this, I am happy that you read it at all, so thank you. If you wish to never hear from me again, au revoir.
Now time for the normal stuff.
Goodbye, I will miss you all, and I loved this trip so much (even if Paris is allergic to me or I am allergic to Paris, even if I spent majority of my time here sick). I wish I had gotten to know you guys more, and I hope you have an amazing rest of the trip. I cannot wait to hear about the cool final projects you guys come up with. I will forever remember this experience, and it ended too quickly. I will keep reading your blogs, so post some cool pictures. Have fun and take care of yourselves!
– Caroline