Swine Flu and Successful Blog Posts: An Unlikely Combination
After feeling completely wiped and feverish with chills for a few days, then feeling liked I had been pushed in the stomach on Monday, with some unpleasantaries following, Tuesday morning found me in the emergency room. The diagnosis: I have symptoms “suggestive of the swine fluâ€.
Perhaps I was “abusing the systemâ€, given I wasn’t feeling too sick, yet, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I appreciate that doctors didn’t expect me to make it through my first night here on earth and that the last 43 years (next Wednesday!), I’m not ready to call it “quits†quite yet! I wanted to nip this bug early before my symptoms worsened. I’m now on a five-day treatment of Tamiflu from the British Columbia Pandemic Supply.
I would have happily sat out this phenomenon, but, unfortunately, this bug is non-discriminatory and includes anyone. From a study I read earlier this year, which I now cannot find, but this news report echoes the same results: “Almost two-thirds of the children who died with swine flu had epilepsy, cerebral palsy or other neurodevelopmental conditions. In a previous flu season, only a third of pediatric deaths had those conditions.†Admittedly, I am not child age, but I am not about to quibble over a few years. That report had me scared! And hearing reports of healthy adults with no “underlying conditions†dying from H1N1 didn’t help to calm my fears.
So…I’m going to do something very un-Glenda-like and not push myself. Once I hit publish on this post, I am going to back to bed.
Before I’d go crawl into my bed with my kitty, I’d like to leave you with this:
This weekend Blogger Extraordinaire Liz Strauss celebrated her 4th blog birthday. She invited her readers to share their most successful blog post. This was my contribution:
Although I stopped by yesterday, I was stumped on which blog post to share as my most successful post. How is the success of posts measured? My mind went totally blank, which, you know, is rare.
Last night, while watching tv in bed because I was too dead to even move, one post rose to the surface of consciousness.
It is a post about a lesson taught by a wise friend; a lesson I still hold dear today. Every time I implement the lesson, I feel my wise friend sitting on my shoulder, reassuring nodding with warmth and approval, “It’s not about you; it’s about them. Say thank you and accept their words graciously.â€
In social media, where it is all about “themâ€, it may be strange that I chose a post in which “I†learn a valuable lesson as my most successful post. But, this lesson has better equipped me to interact with my readers, friends and colleagues, both online and in-person. Isn’t that a success?
The lesson? How to respond to the remark “You’re such an inspiration!â€
Thanks Liz for all who you are and all that you do for others. I’m sure your Dad is proud.
Cheers to you, Liz!
Now I’d like to invite you to do the same. Feel free to share your most successful blog post, in however way you define success. Or, if you are without a blog, share your most favourite post or article from anywhere online – whether it most deeply touched you, moved you to action, made you laugh or was the most useful. Whatever. Share. Others might enjoy it too.
If you enjoyed this post, consider buying me a chai tea latte. Thanks kindly.