Health

Health. In high school we are required to take a class called Health (at least I hope you are because if I was, then you should all be required as well). In this class we learn things from our skeletal system to the damage alcohol does to our bodies to the ole "if you have sex, you will get pregnant and die." Perhaps it's not as severe as that. But we learn all of these things.

When we're little our parents teach us to brush our teeth so they'll clean and healthy. To drink our milk 'cause it builds strong bones. To eat our veggies so we can grow big and strong. Get at least 8 hours of sleep. To not spend so much time in front of the TV screen or else our eye sight will go to hell. And if you're Mexican you get things like don't go outside without a sweater because you'll catch a cold, don't eat watermelon after 7 pm and don't drink milk or eat anything with lactate in it after eating watermelon because you will get diarrhea. I know I know.

It's all these warnings that we grow up with in order to stay healthy. And if we listen to them we will never get sick. Now who's to say this actually works because let's be honest, we break all those rules.  So maybe if we followed them we'd have a healthy life?

I have lived a pretty healthy life I'm happy to say (knock on wood! I don't want to curse myself). I have only been in the hospital once as a patient. And it was terrible. I had "appendicitis," now I put quotation marks because later it turned out it wasn't my appendix but my colon. But I'll get to that in a little bit.

I remember that event very clearly, it was very near the end of my freshman year in high school and it started on a Saturday. We had gone over to my uncle's house in Fernley for a family party. And it was all fun and games and I was actually introduced to my future dog Nala at that party. It was a good day. And I remember that night on the drive back home my side was bothering me. I told my mom about it and she asked if I wanted medicine. I refused because up until then I had never actually had pain meds before. So I went to bed that night assuming it'd be over the next day.

Sunday came and it got worse so I took my first Tylenol. And it subsided for a few hours and I ate a little bit of breakfast although I wasn't feeling hungry. I went to bed feeling terrible and I tossed and turned all night barely sleeping because the pain was killing me. Monday I woke up and struggled to get up and I still planned to go to school. Once in the shower I kind of broke down and started crying from the pain. So after my shower my mom asked if I was ready to go to the hospital and I nodded.

I'm not going to lie, it was my first time with something this bad and this big. I was scared. So I was the kid in the waiting room of the ER sitting in between both his parents holding their hands. I had appendicitis. Or so they thought. So I stayed in the hospital for three days, lost some [noticeable] weight because they had been prepping me for a surgery that never happened. It was horrible, it was painful, it was sad. And after getting out I was wary for a few days afterwards.

The point being I think we all underestimate our health. We do things to our bodies that we don't even think twice about. We don't realize the impact that it has on us and will most likely have on our futures. When we think of happiness I'm sure being healthy does come across but only after a few other things like for example wealth.

But maybe health should be one of our bigger wishes. We can't be wealthy or happy if we're dead right?