Perspective

This week is halfway over and it has already been more eventful than I was ready for. Although I'm not necessarily feeling it, my body must be under more stress than I realize because I'm seeing a much more frequent occurrence of stomach problems and migraine headaches. Monday evening one of those really nasty headaches hit--you know, the kind that feels like someone is literally drilling into your head. I threw up my hands, took some medicine, and went to bed. Every few hours I was awake and in excruciating pain. It hurt so much that I could not even cry. Sometime around 3:30am I awoke to the feeling of extreme nausea...you can imagine what followed. While headache pain is somewhat normal for me, getting sick from the pain is not. Fortunately I was able to go back to sleep and awoke without pain. Since I had no pain, I had no reason to stay home from school...I thought.

Midway through my first class I felt my body temperature rising and a ringing persisted in my ears. "Oh crap," I thought. "I have to get out of here, I'm going to pass out!" I made it down the hall to the science office and was able to get another teacher to cover my class while I spent the next ten minutes laying on the floor--breathing was labored, my skin was tingling, and there was no way I could keep my body upright without blacking out entirely. It was a frightening and humbling experience as I was forced to show weakness in front of my students, colleagues, and assistant principal. A trip to the nurse confirmed that my blood pressure and pulse rate were abnormally low and I took my first trip to the hospital to see a doctor in the International Clinic. After taking blood, examining my medications (a probable culprit for the near fainting experience), and ordering me to go home to hydrate and sleep I headed back to campus. Today I felt tired and weak, but I made it through my classes and was comforted by the concern of my students. This afternoon I went back to the hospital to get the results of my blood work: everything is normal, including my thyroid levels (another possible explanation for yesterday's spell). Back to square one and back to bed--my head is still throbbing.

Just a few minutes ago I was reading the world news online and discovered there have been two terrible tragedies in Indonesia. Generally I would have thought, "Man, that is horrible" and went on with my daily routine, but tonight this really affected me. The first natural disaster hit Sumatra in the way of a tsunami killing and injuring hundreds--towns have been literally destroyed. The second has come in the way of a volcanic eruption on the island of Java. Mount Merapi is just 15 miles from the residence of two of my cherished friends. While this disaster claimed the lives of just 28 people, I cannot help but feel deeply connected to what is happening in this tiny corner of the world. I pray to God that my friends are indeed on vacation as they posted on their Facebook page just a few days ago (along with a link to the volcanic eruption warnings). I pray that it is safe for them to return. I pray that mother nature decides she is done with this volcano for a very long time. I want to go to Indonesia to hug them and ensure they are safe. I want to help those affected by these disasters but I do not know how or where to contribute.

Tonight I have gained a new perspective on the fragility and unpredictability of life. Again I have learned that the Earth does not revolve around me and my afflictions. I am thankful to have just experienced pain in my head rather than the pain of losing loved ones because of an unforeseen disaster. I cannot imagine...but I can pray.