I don’t know if I have been away this long from my blog, but I have to admit it certainly seems a long gap this time around. There I had been nattering away in November, hoping to do so for all thirty days of the month when disaster struck. Well, it IS kind of a disaster when different parts of your body join together and strike work, isn’t it?
If wearing a splint on my left hand these past couple of months to keep my thumb immovable wasn’t enough, my back decided that I shouldn’t be sitting too long, or standing, for that matter. In fact, the three of them, the lower, middle and upper back seemed unanimous on this decision. Perhaps they hadn’t liked the fact that I had gone on a trip with my friends, a seven hour long train journey and done lots of walking, not to mention putting luggage on overhead racks and pulling them off too.
In Malayalam there is a phrase, ‘Kooninmel kuru’ It literally translates to ‘an abscess on (an already deformed) hunched back’. There’s also a saying that goes, ‘Monganirunna pattiyude thalayil thenga veenathu poley’. Literal translation, ‘Like a coconut falling on the head of a dog already having a of pity party of sorts.
Well, you get the drift of what I am trying to say? That I was already down when something else came up to make it all worse.
An over-friendly virus doing the rounds decided the time was ripe to attack. I am not one who is usually afraid of cold viruses. I mean I do hate the damn things with a passion, but they usually peak in a day making it one of the worst days of my life and then tamely withdraw, letting me bounce back to being my old self.
But
This time around, the wily thingamabobs, having done their destructive ‘dance’ failed to tamely withdraw. Instead, they made themselves at home driving me nuts. Blocked nose, swollen tonsils, inflamed sinuses, I had them all. And my head was hurting too. Antibiotics, here I come! Just about then, not to be outdone, fatigue too joined the throng of my tormentors.
If this wasn’t concerted attack on me, tell me what is! Back, hand, nose, throat, head, all had. joined together in an effort to keep me down. I wanted so badly to read, paint, write, go for my walk, cook/eat something tasty, play music on the electronic keyboard…. But no, I wasn’t able to do any of those things.
That’s when the thought crept into my head. Should I just give up? The blog, I mean. And the painting too. Also the keyboard. They all involve sitting. What about the walks I love? Will I be forced to give it up as well? Will my back let me pick up from where I had left off? (I have no answer to that yet) Would I be able to stand in the kitchen and cook the dishes I love? Will I have to delegate more? I am not happy about that either.
In the meantime, I am getting better (I hope!), though not there yet. But fear not, I won’t be willingly giving up any of those things that I love. Perhaps for the time being I should stick to writing brief posts so I don’t have to sit for long. Sigh, who am I kidding? Easier said than done as this post is proof enough! 😉
©️ Shail Mohan 2025
Shail's Nest 
Oh bless Shail you’re certainly ‘going through the wars’ (another expression!) and proving ‘it never rains but it pours’ (and yet another one!).
I do hope you recover VERY soon. I hope too you don’t give up writing. How about using the voice to type functions that work very well these days. ChatGPT is excellent for this but Word is also good. You could use your phone to fully draft your posts by voice in any position you like and that would minimise the length of time sat at a computer – no matter HOW long your posts!