||Health is not valued till sickness comes. -Thomas Muller||
Growing up as a teenager opened my eyes to a lot of things about meeting one’s daily needs and those of one’s family, especially as a breadwinner. At least, from what I could see from my dad, a responsible man should be able to provide for his family and make ends meet in whatever legit way he can. There are several unforeseen demands that can keep a man on his toes. School levies, daily food supply, house bills, etc., can come calling at any moment! (to digress a bit, adulthood is what again? Reply in the comment section, lol).
For several breadwinners like my dad, there is this pressure to always work as much as possible and make as much money as possible. This might push them to overwork, get exhausted, and ignore the importance of their health. The first day my dad fell sick really got us worried. Since I grew up knowing him as my dad, he has never broken down for once. But on this fateful day, it looked like we were going to lose him. He was even admitted to the hospital for close to two weeks! We were grateful to have him back, and I remember my mom establishing an extra business around that period. I was still a teenager and didn’t totally understand the scenario.
Today, I have a better understanding of what happened to my dad several years ago. I wonder what’s the big deal and question why he has to be often unavailable, especially during the day, why is my dad so pressured? Indeed! “Adulthood is a scam!” I have all the answers now. I have had an experience while working in Lagos, one of the busiest states in Nigeria!
My work shift back then should have been a normal 9 to 5, but due to extra demands on the job and other special requests to be available at weekends, I had to put in some extra time. The first encounter I had was an accident that occurred on a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane, and I had some bruises and pain all over my body. The accident I had was on a bike. Lagos is a very busy state, and if you want to beat the traffic, you have to either wake up early or be ready to jump bikes. The latter was the available option on the fateful day. Thank God, it wasn’t so fatal. Although the bruises took more time to heal, I recovered and resumed work in a week. During the recovery process, I had to hand over to one of my colleagues, and it dawned on me that I could have passed away and actually be replaced! Work goes on! Life goes on!
The last straw that broke the camel’s back was when I got so sick and the doctor had to place me on injections and medication. I was injected 9 different times! Aside from jumping bikes, I really didn’t take my diet seriously. I don’t have enough time to always cook, I had to eat out a lot. I was also more concerned about my earnings than I was about my health. We had a plan that covered all health expenses back then, and I could have gone for periodic health checkups, gotten recommendations on living a better life, or even had a conversation with my organization about working from home and other possible options to reduce the stress. But I prioritized wealth above health, and that got me sick. It took sickness to make me realize the importance of my health, and sincerely, the scenarios are experiences I will never forget! Of course, I had a good chat with my superiors on possible days I could work from home, and I got their approval.