Two Quarts Low

I'm the type of person who enjoys a fairly quiet, normal lifestyle. Go here at this time. Do that at this time. So when something threatens to interrupt my peaceful existence I choose to ignore it, often I've found this to be a bad idea. This past week was one of those times.

I had been feeling poorly for several days and when the headache and exhaustion became completely unbearable, I went to the doctor. The kind gentleman informed me that I was severely anemic. The average hemoglobin level for a woman my age should be between 12 and 16. Mine was around a six. Uh-oh.

After further investigation, I was diagnosed with stomach ulcers and I had been apparently losing blood via these ulcers for close to two weeks. But after a bit of morphine, fluids, and four blood transfusions I am feeling much better. I now have 2 full quarts of somebody else's blood rushing through my veins.

This whole near death experience got me thinking. I so often choose to ignore my problems in hopes that they will got away. But as I discovered this week, this is probably the worst idea ever. I have made a new pact with myself: to stop ignoring my problems and hoping that they will go away, but to face them and deal with them.

Growth often gives me some most unwelcome lessons.