I went over to my aunt's house as a kid from vacation to vacation. Those visits were always fun because I enjoy chatting up with her. I still remember this one time when I was sitting on the kitchen counter, and must have worn a dress or skirt, when she commented, "Reverie, why don't you put some sugar and oil on it to make your knees less dry and lighter."
"But I don't care. I don't even like wearing skirts and dresses, who will ever see." I responded.
"You're saying that right now, but eventually a day will come when you will like wearing that stuff. And if you take care of your skin from now, you'll only feel good about it." She was right about me enjoying wearing dresses as I grew up. I do look at my knees in a little disdain. And it bothers me a bit - society's perception of fairer is prettier is another issue so let's skip it - but it doesn't bother me enough to do something about it.
When I began to get my period, it was very erratic. The bleeding was haywire. That's normal. But my back hurt where the pain reached abnormal levels. I could not go to school on the first day, or I'd leave from school if blood began pouring out in the middle of the day. It was that bad.
"Drink a lot of water", the doctor told me. "There's really nothing else you can do."
Fun fact: I barely drink 3 glasses of water in a day. So when Tamanna and Sumeet found out my water habits, they had a contest to remind me to drink water in every class. "Let's see who remembers to remind her every hour." They challenged each other. I'd be pushed to drink some, even if it was just a sip. Every once in a while, I would beat them to drinking that sip.
Sometimes you have all the support in the world, but you still fight it, and I don't know why. My back still hurts like crazy on day one. I writhe in pain. I do not drink enough water. In that process twelve days of the year are wasted in complete agony.
One fine day, I ran on a sprained knee for forty minutes because I really wanted to. I could not run for two months after that. In those two months, I began using my other knee so much, and put enough pressure on it to sprain it as well. That finally triggered a precautionary belt to enable normal movement.
The thing is, we bounce back very fast when we are small. We fall sick less. Most of our injuries are related to falling down, or doing something as ridiculous as taking your frock and pulling it over your face and running around. You'll have to ask Dish why she did this and broke her front tooth for good.
But we are reckless as kids. We don't care about what happens to us. Everything can be fixed. Things generally do not cause permanent damage quickly. Even our teeth are milk teeth - they fall off and we get a fresh set to take care of. In a way, we have multiple lives. And as we grow, those lives begin reducing.
Adult injuries, on the other hand, are funnier. You get injured if you get off a bus and put your first foot forward at different angle, ask Tamanna. You dislocate a shoulder when your best friend puts his arm around your shoulder, ask Agastya. Sumeet was admitted to a hospital after eating pani puri outside the station. And you'll see Aarsh with a broken something playing football on a regular basis.
And sometimes, these injuries cause permanent damage. Sometimes you have health problems that the doctor tells you that you just have to deal with in life because there is not really any other option that you have got. As a twenty something year old, having those problems is difficult because "I have my whole life ahead of me. I don't want to be affected by this. You don't understand, I can't do the things I love, I have to put my life on hold."
It is even worse to have those problems when we grow old. And I mean old. Sixty something old. Eighty something old. Or hundred something old if you are lucky (or unlucky maybe depending on how you look at it). Old people have multiple life threatening problems, and each complicates the other.
When I look at old people, I often see people in their already broken bodies breaking down further. One or more of their senses stop working completely well. Their hands are never still, very slightly shaking as they talk. Some of them put on too much weight, others lose much more than they should. Basic functions are things you need help with. You can't walk, run, climb. The inability to do everything you have done in life independently can be scary.
The key word there is often. When I often look at old people. And maybe eventually that is the end for us. Maybe we'll be in a hospital in a night down that barely covers our ass, with our sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters torn between wanting the pain for us to end and see us fine again. But there is a way you can make that ass look good while you are at it, and that's by taking care of it.
Death is inevitable. Old age is inevitable. Unforeseen illnesses you can do nothing about. There are tons of things that are out of our control. And please, continue to complain about them or throw a pity party if that makes you feel better about it. What I highly recommend though, if for you to change some stuff up.
Start giving a shit about what you eat. Begin taking walks, and make it a part of your lifestyle. Exercise. Swim if that is what you love - my grandfather at the age of eighty something swims on a regular basis, goes for morning and evening walks, and limits his sugar. He is the perfect example of a disciplined person. And he didn't start doing all of these things to take care of himself after he was diagnosed with something that threatened his health. He always followed a routine that included the above activities. So much respect.
Bringing discipline in my life is something that I struggle with. Most people new to 'adulting' have messed up sleep schedules or barely sleep. They eat whatever they get, and home-cooked meals become rare. They do stupid things like running on sprained knees to cope with an outburst of emotions in spite of having other coping mechanisms. But largely, they get so focused on a million other priorities and chasing their goals and dreams, that their own health becomes secondary.
Health really is the most important part of your life. If you are sick, those priorities, goals, and dreams will become doubly hard to reach. On the other hand, your body is what you live in. I've noticed that people who invest in their skin and hair always look great. And when you look great, you feel great. So take care of your body and health, you'll thank yourself when you're grown up and healthy. Give yourself permission to invest in yourself. Be disciplined in life. Drink enough water. Set ground rules. Consistent good health and care will go a long way in you being happy, even in times when good health is rare.
I hope you wake up every morning feeling fresh and ready to slay the day. I know you can.
