There are some moments in life which change our perception and the way we see things. I had such a moment this week. I have been seriously unwell last whole week which is why I was away from Instagram and Insta-stories. We have literally been rushing to the doctor almost every day of this week.
My husband and I had other plans for this week. We had booked a new Air BNB this week which is right next to a beautiful lake called ‘long lake’ here in Halifax and is away from the hustle and bustle of city life. We were hoping for a relaxing 10 day vacation here.
All our plans were crushed instantly as I was diagnosed with an eye infection. The antibiotic medicine given to me for that (Erythromycin eye ointment) probably gave me a chemical reaction which caused a scratch across my left eye which is called Kerititis causing blurry vision. Next day my condition worsened and changed to Corneal Erosion due to the eye lid rubbing against it.
The eye specialist asked me if I had an accident, fell down or got hit by something. But I assured her that absolutely nothing like that happened. I had one really painful night and a whole week of blurry vision. It was mostly one eye but the infection spread to my right eye for a day and that got me petrified. The treatment included inserting a silicon contact lens in my eye to work as a bandage so my cornea could heal. Today, it was removed and I will be on ointment/drops for another 2 weeks to make sure everything stays in place.
Some real life lessons this week taught me:
- In life we often worry about insignificant and trivial things without realising that we are blessed as long as we are healthy. Absolutely nothing is worth worrying if you are in good health. I have been the happiest ever since I got my vision back. Now I will not let myself get upset over minor things. If you’re healthy, it calls for a celebration.
- I have read in the Quran that there are people who will pray to Allah only when they are in trouble. Once Allah takes them out of their ordeal, they once again get busy in their lives without praying or remembering Allah. I do try to say my prayers but I don’t normally say Nafal prayer. On the night when I was in a lot of pain, I found myself praying to Allah (including Nafals) a lot. Honestly, I felt a little guilty. I realised how much more determined my prayer that night was than it normally is! I will now remember that night and try to pray with motivation on my other nights too.
- We take our health for granted and don’t realise how blessed we are. Every healthy minute we spend in this life is precious and we need to appreciate it and show gratitude for it.
- We love to plan our life and think we are in control of whatever happens in our life. We like to keep our calendars preplanned and booked. But we must remember that our plans can all shatter in an instant if our heath is compromised. This is probably the reason why we should say ‘Inshallah’ as we plan if Allah wills.
- We think something major has to happen for us to get sick or get injured. But sometimes nothing at all happens and still you get injured/severely sick. We have to learn to accept whatever challenges are destined for us rather than dwell on why/how it happened too much. It is true that we should know why/how it happened to prevent it in future. But some times even the doctor can’t be sure why it happened. It was just in our destiny!
- We are very lucky if our spouse is cooperative/supportive and manages all housework etc while you are feeling down. Spouse support is most needed at such situations.
- If you live away from family, normally it doesn’t really matter that much. But when you’re sick, it breaks your heart to be away from your loved ones. The worst part is that you can’t even share details of your sickness with them so they don’t get too worried. You miss their sympathy so much!
- One feels extremely lonely at times when you have just moved to a completely new continent where you don’t know a single person. The last thing you want is for you to get health problems. Not knowing anything about the city and country is bad enough but not being able to see clearly makes it all so much worse. We had no idea about hospitals/clinics and had no one to help us find them.
- All our vital organs of the body are important but I realised how important our vision is. Not being able to see is one of the most difficult tests. There were times this week when my patience level was on its end. Its very difficult to stay patient and do Sabr at times like these.
I thank Allah for recovering me from such a nightmare. For all those who live in Halifax, I would also like to recommend my eye specialist Dr. Denman who sits at Family Vision Clinic, Halifax (Clayton Park & Larry Utech). She has been extremely professional and helpful throughout. I plan to visit her IA next week and give a card and gift to her.
#momentsthatmoveus #soulfulmoment#struggle #learningexperience#changeforbetter #donttakeforgranted#lifeisshort
