Visiting

Laugh at your friends, and if your friends are sore; So much the better, you may laugh the more. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

I went to visit one of my friends in the hospital today. It was actually surreal. See usually, my friends are a sturdy, healthy lot, with the only invalid of the bunch being me. So it was really wierd for me to be looking at it from the other side of the hospital bed. Added to that, I felt so....helpless! Like there was nothing I could do to make him feel better or alleviate his distress. Guess it's good to see how both sides of the fence feel like. I think I was actually able to empathise with his situation better since I've been hospitalized so many times. I also think that this experience has given me a greater appreciation for the people that do come to visit me when I'm ill.

I encouraged him to actually step out of the claustrophic hospital room and into the hallway, and then accompanied him downstairs to enjoy some sunlight. I knew this would instinctively improve his mood since that's how I feel when I'm ill---I just want to go outside!

And that's the silver lining behind every cloud.

I ended up telling him all kinds of funny stories, even if I had to stretch the truth a bit just to get a few laughs out of him. I realise now that being a standup comic is not in my future. Neither is being a pantomime.

However, I could have a future as a candy stripper. I think I would fill those shoes....nicely.

Have a nice weekend everyone!