Dizzy Days

I've been off line for a bit due to something with the odd name of Labrynthitus. Though it sounded more like the punchline to a medical knock knock joke when my doctor told me, it was actually a temporary problem with my inner ear that disrupted my sense of balance.

"You're going to be dizzy for about a month Dave," he said, "And you might have some ringing in your ears."

"You mean four more weeks of this," I asked in dismay at the time. The onset of what I came to call "the rockin' dizzies," was so sudden and strong that I had hoped it would retreat just as quickly.

"Uh-huh," he confirmed, "and no driving for a few days - at least until the dizzy feeling has grown less."

And here I thought that my kids were the only ones to make my head spin for so long.

If you've never had this, the closest I can compare it to is the feeling of just having stepped off a roller coaster - kind of woozy and wishing I had not had a hot dog for lunch. I wouldn't have thought how important balance is until I had it working improperly for so long.

So I had to slow down for a bit and as the computer gave me a headache during this time I had to disconnect too. It was a quiet month thankfully. I was able to travel by subway to work and the kids were out of school. I did my best not to do anything 'bouncy,' which the doctor had warned me against, and rest and recover.

Having all that inactive time really reminded me how good it is to be busy and how lucky I am to have some flexibility. I was also reminded how lucky I am to have such a good family to help me.

I'm also fairly sure now that good balance depends on more than just one person's efforts. I wouldn't want to go through this alone. I feel like one of those high wire acts where every person in the act gives a little more when necessary to keep the others from falling.