Food poisoning and some 'put-pocketing'

So a double bout of food poisoning of late taught me what I knew but never really knew: without health you have nothing.

Funny how a Client (one of the nicest ever, Mr R from a certain huge bank) told me the same thing last week - "to take care of my health and spend more time with family". Before you think - it's not so bad being a lawyer if your clients are angels. Pause now, take a deep breath: back to earth now children. He is one in a trillion. Of all the clients I've met to date, easily one of the almost extinct genuinely nice souls.

I digress. Food poisoning. Granted, it might not be life-threatening in many cases. But it has to be ranked as one of the worst ailments ever. Honestly, I never felt like dying this much. You throw up, your stomach is perpetually crampy and in pain (with what you don't know since you cannot consume any solid nor liquid), you cannot cease visiting the washroom (in a very civilised manner of speaking), your fever refuses to go away, your head throbs so badly it threatens to split, you cannot eat - anything and everything makes you nauseous, you wish you are dead so you sleep and you sleep and you sleep. And you sleep some more. Until you are that tad well enough to lift yourself out of bed and get to a doctor. You get the point. All that because of some bad beef (before Cambodia) and who knows what (after Cambodia).

Yet I thank the Lord for this. It made me see that I have all this while perhaps not entirely unconsciously taken my health and perceived youth for granted. I've subject my physical body to so much stress and dare I say torment - the lack of sleep, the endless hours of heightened adrenalin, the severe overdose of caffeine, and the lack of sleep and yet more lack of sleep. Sometimes it's inevitable - you either sleep or you be responsible and do your job well so perhaps some bank can make more money but since it's your job you answer to God and not to man so you jolly well do it well. I have no complaints about that. I came into this with eyes wide open.

But on the other hand, I admit I keep late nights even when I'm not working. Because of all those hours spent working, I felt compelled to milk every other second to do something else: be it meals with loved ones, some serious shopping therapy, chilling out with friends, watching a movie, or reading a good book notwithstanding that it's 4am and the poor body is calling out to please let it sleep already. Yet in that blind pursuit of what an enriching life appears to be, I've let my body go. So through this, I felt the Lord say: my body is His temple and it's time I start taking care of it.

In other news, London is promoting "put-pocketing". Part of an advertising campaign of a mobile phone operator (what's the link again?) which will be extended to other parts of Britain next month. Self-proclaimed reformed pick-pockets play Santa and distribute a grand 100,000 pounds (no there is no typo) by dropping cash into the pockets or handbags of unsuspecting passer-bys on the streets of London such as Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Oxford Circus. How very intelligent an idea, given that it promotes the same stealth and 'skills' as pickpocketing and while they are at it these reformed ones say they feel less guilty about taking money out from peoples' pockets all these years (so now there's a cure to crime?). Anyhow, if you are headed for the UK, go hunt down those "Rejoice! Put pockets operate in this area" signs, loiter and go nuts! Tell me if you make more than 20 pounds.

xx
claire.