How a sick day can make you feel better

How a sick day can make you feel betterHow a sick day can make you feel betterImagine youre at home and someone knocks on your front door. You open the door and greet a dapper gentleman in a suit, sporting a thin mustache and slicked-back hair. He looks like someone from the early 1900s.Illustrations by John WeissFollow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraNot a word is spoken. The fellow tilts his head to the right, inviting you outside. His face is kind. Curious, you follow.The gentleman raises his hand up as if to seemingly rest it against the scenery of your street. Except when he does this, he opens an invisible door. Beyond it, you see people celebrating at a wedding. They are dressed like the gentleman, in clothing from the past.You follow him and step through this doorway in time. You become a guest amongst the wedding reception participants. There are children, people dancing, fami ly laughing, and a robust priest smiling as he enjoys the feast.The wedding cake is cut and there is applause. You spy a photographer with an old style camera and flash. He is about to take a picture of the bride and groom. You glance over at them, and it hits you.They are your parents.More emotionally susceptibleToday I had the misfortune of coming down with a bad virus. The full-service kind, complete with fever, sore throat, aches, and general misery.Illness forces you to hunker down at home for a while. Restricted from the usual rhythms of life, you dont have much to do but read or watch television. I tried to do some painting and writing but didnt have the energy.Whenever I get sick, I become more emotionally susceptible to poignant books, movies, videos, and music. Maybe getting sick is our bodys way of taking time out from everyday life, so that we can slow down and revisit the past. Conjure old memories and feelings long dormant.So there I was, ensconced on the couch watchin g television when a commercial for FedEx came on. Most commercials I ignore, but this one was creative and touching. In fact, it was the very scene I described in the opening of this article.The commercial is titled Memories. Take a moment to watch it below.A silentguestIm notlage sure how I would respond if some mystical gentleman opened a portal to the past for me, and I found myself at my parents wedding.Perhaps I would share with them our future vacations in Carmel, California, where we had picnics on the beach and watched the surf together.Or maybe I would warn Dad about his heart attack, and the distance that he and Mom would sometimes share in later years.Most likely, I wouldnt say a word. Id remain as a silent guest, taking in all the splendor and joy of the moment. The past is always there for us to visit, but visiting the past to alter the future surely violates some cosmic rule.The call of our ancestorsYou can only watch so much television when youre sick at home. I tried to paint in my art studio for a while, but I didnt have the energy. I ended up reading the newspaper and came across an interesting story buried on the third page.It was about a World War II veteran namedFrank Manchel, who was on an all-expenses-paid weekend trip for veterans to Washington D.C. Manchel was on the Honor Flight back home to San Diego.Manchel was laughing, chatting and having a good time. And then, about an hour before landing, he collapsed. Doctors on the flight (including his son) unsuccessfully tried to revive him.Perhaps our ancestors know when to call us home. Maybe Mancels last visit to Washington D.C. and all those memories of his absinken buddies sparked some kind of unraveling in his soul. A sort of release, allowing him to pass over the veil.I can envision family, friends, and soldiers long gone greeting Mancel with open arms after he passed.Theres a beautiful Garth Brooks song titledThe Dance.All this reflection put me in a somber mood, and I decided to pla y the song.Its about the importance of living out our lives. There will be good and bad, but to miss out on the experience would be the greatest injustice.The following lyrics fromThe Dancesum it up perfectlyYes my life is better left to chanceI could have missed the painBut Id have had to miss thedanceRoses in ourwinterWhat do a FedEx commercial, dying World War II veteran, and Garth BrookssThe Dance,all mean?That life is meant to be lived in full. The good, the bad, and everything in between. We must not remain haunted by regrets, seize each day, remember to savor those sweet times gone by and embrace our memories.Author and columnist George Will once wrote thatMemories are roses in our winter.My 85-year-old mother can attest to that. She often reminisces, recalling vivid memories of the past. We smile and laugh as we talk about the good old days.Its amazing to me that all this reflection was spawned by one sick day at home and a silly FedEx commercial. But as noted above, perhaps thats why we get sick sometimes. To force us to slow down, shut out the world, revisit some memories and reflect on life.My sick day, ironically, made me feel better. It allowed me to reflect and focus on the important things in life, rather than all the other noise that gets in the way.I dont recommend getting sick, but if you do, use the time for some gentle reflection and reminiscence. Itll clear your mind, and make you feel better.All of our dances will end someday, and wasnt it Socrates who wrote that the unexamined life is not worth living?(Originally published atJohnPWeiss.com)Before yougoImJohn P. Weiss.I paint landscapes, draw cartoons and write about life. Thanks for reading.This article first appeared on Medium.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people