Sickness and Health

I’ve got COVID, again. This is my third time. It's difficult to work. It's difficult to read. Mainly due to my headache.

When I’m not sick, my mind is a swirling vortex of desires and goals. Ask me on a good day what I want, and I’ll reel off a list of ten things without hesitation.

But illness narrows my focus dramatically. Suddenly, there's just one thing: to be well.

“Health is not valued, till sickness comes,” wrote Thomas Fuller, and the truth of that hits hard when you're laid up in bed. It's ironic and sad.

Even more disheartening is knowing that once I recover, I'll forget this feeling and slip back into taking my health for granted.

This is our evolutionary programming at work. We’re animals, optimised for survival, not appreciation. We prioritise immediate threats and desires, and once those are out of the way, we rarely spend mental energy on what isn’t pressing.

This makes sense in the wild, where constant vigilance against threats was crucial. But in our modern lives, this means we often overlook our wellbeing until it's compromised.

We live in a distracted world. Our attention is fractured by endless notifications, responsibilities, and ambitions. We chase success, validation, and productivity, often at the expense of our health.

When was the last time you stopped to appreciate simply feeling well? If you’re like most people, it was probably a fleeting thought, quickly overtaken by the next item on your to-do list.

But if you’re reading this, you don’t need to get COVID to be thankful for your health. Take a moment now, before diving into your next email to check in with yourself.

Are you breathing easily? Is your head clear? Is your energy steady?

If so, appreciate your good health for that is the ultimate wealth.

If not, look after yourself first. Everything else will follow.