chills, nature, and a simple prayer

MIND - I had the chills on Wednesday night. I came home and went straight to bed after taking some acetaminophen and allergy medicine. On Thursday, the same thing happened. Tetsuya got me some energy drinks (here in Japan, they are tiny and more like health boosts as opposed to Red Bull types). I struggled with the chills all day, but figured just one more day, and I can rest. Well, even though I know my body is aging (and it does so quickly after 30!) I told myself I could do it. What a mistake. I was dizzy, weak from not eating, and still having the chills. The commute seemed to take forever, and I was actually sleeping on the subway! I got to work and at a co-worker's request, checked my temperature. 39 degrees! (102.2). I made arrangements and left to see a doctor.

The doctor's office is near my apartment, but again, I was moving in a slow-motion daze. It took an hour to see him, but I found out that 1) I didn't have influenza 2) He had vaccinations on hand 3) He had drugs and 4) he would be done with it all in 30 minutes. The bad news was I didn't have enough cash on me. Strange thing about this technological powerhouse of a country---checks/credit cards are the exception. Cash is the norm. This was amplified by a conversation I had with an adult student about how shocked they were that foreign teachers employed by a company that went under had absolutely no money. Japanese are big on spending, but they are equally serious savers. They spend what they have and put money away for rainy days.

Even more strange, when I asked where an ATM was to get the difference, he said, "Oh, just come by tomorrow or the next day. I will just take 5000 yen today, okay?" What a throwback! Cash and the honor system! It's a way of life here. So, as I continually plug away at the credit card gorilla bills on my back, I remember that living sensibly can really help me reach my goal. As for the fever, prescription drugs did the trick....3 pills, 1 powder, 1 gargle, and 1 cough syrup. It's funny because the meds were given almost exactly how they serve food...cute, individually wrapped portions...just enough for the 3 day period, in not one, but two bags. So why is this a mind story and not a body post? Because this episode made it clear to me that I wasn't taking care of my body enough. (Why does it take loss of health to trigger that?)

So, I am not buying cigarettes anymore. I will just smoke Tetsuya's, which I hate btw, until I get sick of it altogether. This technique is really quite effective. Today, I smoked 2 cigarettes as opposed to 8....and I saved money. So, clean body, clean mind. I'm going to go for it. *update....i bought and smoked cigarettes. oops!*

BODY - This weekend we rode to Osaka Castle Park and enjoyed the Sunday afternoon. I am not an athlete or even the outdoorsy type, but as I get older, I have come to love it more and more. Everyone was at the park, walking, jogging, cycling, spending family, dog, or lover time together. It was romantic, and sweet, and oh so healthy! We live literally 5 minutes from this huge castle with a moat, garden, fountains, park area and all this unimpeded exercise sidewalk/road. It was inspiring, and having battled the fever from hell, I committed to making more effort to take advantage of this in the future.

SPIRIT - I wanted to go to church Sunday, but didn't make it. I think about it a lot, and instead of being inspired, I bog myself with old memories and just get tired. I'm sure there's some guilt sprinkled in there too. But something keeps calling me to go. Must be the strength of prayer warriors in my family tapping on my shoulder in my receptive sleep--my mom being #1 I'm sure. It's so different living in a non-Christian country...I mean, people claim agnostic as often as we hear people claim Christianity at home. Tetsuya and I often debate this point as he seems to think that geography and religion categorizes all foreigners. (I really need to learn Japanese if he plans on talking about that more.) It's just a fact here. Sunday is a day off from work, no special programs on TV or seeing people go to church. It's just another day. Strange.

LANGUAGE BARRIER OR CULTURAL BRIDGE?

Tetsuya's Prayer:
Thank you for Margaret. Thank you for pay food. Thank you for Life (A new supermarket that just opened up across the street reducing my grocery shopping gripes tremendously). Thank you sushi. Amen.