I was perusing Twitter when I saw a Best Of 2009 Blog Challenge prompt that Gwen Bell, an internet pal & great person to follow on Twitter, had posted. The question was “What’s a word that encapsulates your year?”
That question was very easy to answer. It wasn’t a single word… it was a phrase. Make Good Blood.
Lots of stuff happened in 2009. I learned a lot of lessons – but the most significant one was taught to me this past July when I spent 10 days in the hospital. You can read about it here, if you want.
I know, I know, this is a business site. And you want business information. And sure, I can throw a phrase or two out there for you – but that wouldn’t really sum up my year.
I’m the kind of person who will work, work, work – from sun up till way past sun down. When I was in the hospital, I had to take a break. And it felt odd to be away from the computer that long. Trust me!
During my hospital stay, there was a time when I was questioning if I was gonna make it. The original treatments weren’t working. I didn’t have time to think about the emails I needed to send or the blog posts I had to write.
I could only concentrate on one thing: Make Good Blood. For those moments, that was all that mattered. I needed to get better before I could send an email again or write another post.
Long story short: the doctors figured out what was wrong and I got out of the hospital. Things have pretty much returned to normal. My hemoglobin is still low, but it’s a lot better than it was. I take a lot of vitamins, and I have also been making an effort to shut my computer down earlier at night.
The phrase Make Good Blood is more than just a phrase. It taught me to be calm, to have patience, taught me that I’m stronger than I realized, as well as more vulnerable than I ever knew. It’s a new lifestyle.
It’s something that I will not forget.