I've been ill the last few days; nothing serious, just a cold, but I find it remarkable how easily something can overwhelm my body. When I am ill I feel as though I lose a lot of control over my mind, not being able to focus my thoughts, and my body becomes heavy and uncomfortable, unwilling and despondent. I find it unnerving how isolated and vulnerable my body is; just a few of the wrong viruses and the whole system goes into meltdown. Although, on the other hand it's spectacular the way it can react to so many different invasions and, even if it takes a few days, bring itself back to health. It's amazing how much the body can recover from, when you consider it's just a squishy mass of flesh.

Once when I was particularly ill with a fever I almost lost complete control over my mind, something like an hallucination. It didn't get to the point where I didn't know what was going on around me, but I couldn't command or focus on any thoughts, my mind was all over the place for a few hours until the fever passed. I just lay there waiting for it to stop, worried that I felt so ill, but never really doubting that after a certain amount of time my body would bring me back to normal. A fantastic, if not altogether pleasant experience.

When I think about it, It should be terrifying that my body, my state of mind, perhaps everything in my life can be taken away so easily, so quickly. Everything, based on such delicate foundations. Maybe that is part of what makes life so precious?