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completely. I felt very relieved. The next day the food pipe and not the windpipe, so that
I got discharged, and I proudly walked out of you don't end choking. After surgery, the act
the hospital wearing my new necklace which is of eating was now so difficult that I had to be
going to be with me for the coming few weeks. mindful of every morsel I was putting in my
I consoled myself saying Lord Shiva is always mouth, of chewing it and swallowing it. I have
wearing a collar around his neck, I could easily never eaten so mindfully all my life!
wear it for a few days!! However, the most difficult task was to sit
For a day or two, all I remember is feeling around doing nothing. And see the untidy
tired most of the time, and sleeping whenever house right in front of me and not be able
I wanted. But even sleeping wasnt so easy to do anything about it... I have always been
or comfortable. The collar was making its obsessed with perfection and tidiness. After
presense felt. Lying down and getting up was a marriage, just so as to keep peace, I have tried
problem. When I lay down, my back would start hard to partly give up this obsession. You
aching. And then i would just sit up. Sitting up see, sadly, this malady has taken possession
seemed more comfortable. No wonder Lord of only me. Everyone else, kids and husband
Shiva is always sitting in meditative posture. seemed content to live in the junkyard that our
With a collar around, sitting is easier. Eating house had become. But now I was learning to
was a problem too. The food just wouldn't go keep my cool in the midst of this chaos, and
down my throat. Even yawning was difficult... turn a blind eye on things which I couldn't do
The yawn would come out like Tarzan's call... anything about.
aa..aa...aaa..aaah!! Being at home, doing nothing, and not feeling
I realised how perfectly this human body guilty about it, is a wonderful experience. Day
has been created, that everything we do has by day, surrounded by the love and warmth of
become mechanical. We have started taking loved ones this small difficult part of my life
everything for granted. Even the simple act just breezed by.
of eating is far more complex than we could Life always brings with it some unexpected
possibly imagine. There is so much coordina- twists and turns. Laugh. Live. Love. Let go…
tion between your teeth chewing the food, It's a beautiful life!
your throat swallowing it so that it goes down
15
2K1 MBBS, Trivandrum Medical College
