Over the past two weeks, I had COVID-19.
Somehow, over the first three and a half years of the pandemic, I avoided getting the virus (assuming that I didn’t have it previously while asymptomatic).
I thought I might never get it.
But, in life, you never make it out completely unscathed.
On a Wednesday, I felt fatigue while working out.
The following day, I had a fever and chills.
For the 10 days that followed, I experienced body aches, coughing and pressure in my chest.
I couldn’t wish it away.
I couldn’t hit the “reset” button and start over.
Instead, I had to endure it.
There was no other way out.
“[T]he best way out is always through.”
-Robert Frost, A Servant to Servants
Difficult moments arrive unexpectedly.
They have a knack for showing up when we’re at our weakest.
When they come, it’s tempting to run. To hide.
To close your eyes and wish the troubles away. To pity yourself.
Why did I have to get sick? How long would I be affected? What did I do wrong?
But the hard and unexpected are here for a reason.
They are here to teach.
They are here to force you to face something.
To learn about yourself and what you’re capable of handling.
You won’t be able to look away.
You’ll have to go through it.
I’ll leave you with this thought.
In Fight Club, there’s a great scene about pain and how we experience it:
“Stay with the pain; don’t shut this out.”
-Tyler Durden, Fight Club
Stay with the pain.
Don’t shut this out.
Don’t bury your head in the sand.
Accept the challenge. Welcome whatever comes:
The fear.
The uncertainty.
The doubt.
Illness. Loss. Rejection.
The best way out is always through.