Together We Can!!!

Happiness is a blessing, true, but there are some things you realize, only at the time of hardships.

I always used to joke about how my husband helped me in the household chores. Whenever I asked him to make tea, he would go in the kitchen and scream from there,” where is sugar kept? Where is tea kept?” after answering two-three queries, I would say,” you come out of the kitchen. I will make the tea for both of us.”

Like any other lady, I never minded being busy in small household chores like cooking, preparing tiffin for my daughter, etc. Like a typical mother, I had never imagined that the house could run without my contribution.

But I was proved wrong last year, when I suffered from severe backache. The doctor, after preliminary examination, prescribed many tests, the results of which horrified me. When I went to the doctor with the reports, I was concerned,” would I be all right?”

“Why not?” The doctor said, “But strictly follows my instructions.”

I could have done anything to get rid of the pain. He instructed me to take medicines, apply ointment, heat therapy and above all, strict bed rest. The only respite was, I was allowed to walk from bedroom to bathroom. Also, I was not allowed to sit straight, and was supposed to sit in an inclined position, even while having food.

As I said above, I had never imagined that my house could run without me. But this was the time when I came to know what my family could do for me. Though the maid stays for the day time, the problem was for the evening. But my husband and the kids managed all the chores previously done by me. On the bed, I was served my food, hot water bottle for heat therapy, and whatever I needed. My husband and the kids ensured that I didn’t have to move from my bed.

A great problem was managing the tiffin for my daughter, as she had to leave early in the morning and the maid came later. My husband had no experience in cooking. Together, we derived a solution for this. Lying on the bed, I gave instructions to maid for the preparation at night. I gave her the instructions to make the sandwich dip. She would make the sandwich dip in the evening and my husband would make sandwiches in the morning, and pack them. Sometimes, she would make dry paranthas, and my husband would oil them on frying pan in the morning. Though I felt irritated giving instructions to them in loud voice from my bedroom and was tempted to go into the kitchen, my family ensured that I did not get up and sometimes I would even give instructions on mobile phones, while they worked in the kitchen.  Also, I was pleasantly surprised when my daughter told me that upon hearing of my ailment, her friends’ mothers told her that she need not bring her tiffin as they could send some extra food to cater for her also. I was so touched with this loving gesture!

My family ensured that I did not get bored while on bed. They would bring books from library, which would keep me busy during day time. During evening, they would sit near me and we talked.

When I went to my doctor after one month of rest, he told me after check-up,” there is tremendous improvement in your condition! Seeing your condition today, no one can tell that the reports are yours!”

I was overwhelmed with joy! My bed rest was extended for one more month, but I was not worried. With the support from my family, the period of my ailment did not seem to be tough. Also, it taught me an important lesson:  problems that look tough are not always that big; especially when you face them together!