Ushering In Spring Silently

Many cultures have great festivals to welcome the arrival of spring and bid farewell to winter. On the radio this morning a meteorologist was interviewed and he wailed that this was the mildest, wettest and sunniest winter ever in Berlin. For spring we are to expect the unexpected and we won’t even talk about summer. Global warming has changed the meteorological patterns so much that even the experts are hesitant to cough up any forecasts.

No complaints about the mild winter from my side, that’s for sure. However, I am not not one of the fortunate ones to sail into the new season in the best of health. Last weekend I succumbed to fever and a sore throat, and everything deteriorated henceforth. The cold that followed also ushered in a massive coughing attack that has kept me awake the past four nights. No medication nor home remedy was having any positive long-term effect and when I began coughing up blood last night due to burst capillaries in my throat, I called the clinic for an emergency appointment.

Have I mentioned that I lost my voice as well? I am very grateful to have my daughter living with me at the moment, as she is able to place calls on my behalf. Whatever I could cancel and re-scheduled via email or messenger I did, including all the other medical procedures and check-ups I was supposed to have this week.

It is incredibly frustrating to be this sick, but even more frustrating is the lack of sleep. After each coughing attack my body and brain are so exhausted that I think I won’t survive another wave. Honey, ginger and lemon are my best friends at the moment, regardless of the time of day, and I have drank copious litres of herbal tea already, before anyone recommends another one. Neither the Tibetan ginger tea nor the Filipino Salabat have had any effect, and I was even desperate enough to try a turmeric-lemon-garlic-pepper recipe that I found online. All these remedies soothe the itchy or sore throat, but the cough is rude and unstoppable.

Spring is supposed to be all about rebirth and rejoicing the return of life after the dead of winter, and I am pretty confident that I will eventually come around to celebrating… just have to ride out the wave.