Well am blessed to be 1/~50 adult in age range of 30 years , male who got this out of a BILLION people in the country !!! isnt that an achievement ??? Hmmm.. some people are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them .. Shingles is painful so it could probably explain " The Pain behind this Gain" .
As I bask in the new limelight ..it occurs to me now that this is the first time ... the very first time in my 5 long professional experience that I have capitalised on my sick leave !!
And how did Shingles bring me down ? One word answer ==> " Blitzkreig"
The longer one ===> The day before I realised I was P.O.W of Shingles, I was at my usual merrier form, with least respect and recognition to things in general and Shingles in particular. I was busied at office by a FULL DAY training following which I was doing the chasings for BOSS. So as it happens, The clock ticks and follow up list expands, doesnt matter that we are already strectching 3-4 hours after the office schedule. Nothing scary of that but this was Harbour Line of Mumbai- the areas where people go home earlier, the areas where street lights dim out sooner and the areas where the regular " auto - wallas " turn " Muggers " . Masculinity is me - It is not that I am afraid to confront the social evils and fight then singlehandedly like a super hero without being one, but then MBA graduate ( why to do it ) spoke louder than an Engineering Graduate ( How to do it) in me :: why to work on something and not get rewarded for it or why to not get rewarded if you work on something? I could use my talent to mug some one else rather than prevent myself being mugged. But currently thatz not in my radar of interest. So for sake of calling it a day and to sleep at my home - I took steps towards the railway station. As I waited for the next train due in 10 mins ( It never takes more than 10 mins to catch a train at Harbor line) , I was gearing up to Push, Kick , throw people and things out to make way for my foot to be inside the train, but then realisation dawned on me that its past 10 and people who do this are already out of train, sharing dinner with their family or teaching virtues of sacrifice and gentle behavior to their kids. I was as I always am - Correct . It was the least crowded trains I came across in a months time, less crowded to give me place for both my foot - The next challenge in this art of "commuting via train at Mumbai" is to get a place for your hands so that you are sure that your body reaches the destination in one piece and not that the next train brushing from opposite side carries a part of you. It was then - that moment of Truth - knocked. It knocked hard. I was not even able to raise my right hand and cling on to the edge of train. It was damn Painful, and it came to me at moment when I needed the arm much but then am a man with all solutions, so I oriented myself to use my left arm and switch my centre of gravity so that rest of all norms are followed for a safe travel . When I reached Vashi station, I was pushed down so no effort needed in getting out from the train but I realised that I cant sway my right arm and I was turning blind to the sensation in my arm pit and shoulder. I went home and gulped down whatever was stashed in the refrigirator and thought of encountering this villian - the first thing in morning. I woke up but to Pain, I found little redheads across my arm , shoulder all on one side and they were gates to HELL.
All these 5 days I have been in agony but it gave me time to unwind myself, to contemplate, to relish hospitality and to ramble about as I am doing now .. So dont shoot yourself with a Disprin when you reach here, thank GOD ( and hope ) that you are not suffering the pain, that one goes through in Shingles.
