Getting by with a little help from my friends

I am the kind of person who does not usually ask for help. I much prefer to struggle on alone. Some might say its a good thing to be self-reliant. Others might say I'm stubborn and don't wish to appear vulnerable. I think its a bit of both.

 Yesterday, a little while after waking, I began to feel uncomfortably dizzy. I sat and drank some water, thinking that I was perhaps still a bit tired and maybe dehydrated. But the feeling became worse and worse. I realised that it was vertigo, something I suffered with a few years ago and I have dreaded returning ever since. Apparently often caused by some kind of imbalance in the inner ear, vertigo causes severe dizziness and imbalance.

 My Little Monster behaved beautifully, bringing me a blanket when I felt shivery and constantly reminding me to sip my water, probably something she has copied from how I treat her when she's poorly. But as time went on, and I felt no better, I realised that looking after her was going to be too difficult. The Other Half was stuck at work and could only help by keeping in touch to make sure that I hadn't passed out. My poor little girl was stuck watching TV and playing by herself.

 So I decided, against my usual nature, to ask for help. I texted a friend. She replied and, despite being busy and needing to reorganise her day in order to do so, she came to look after me. She brought her own little girl for my Little Monster to play with. She brought me jelly and a chocolate bar for when I felt better. It was strange to be looked after as its the role I usually fill. Normally when I get ill, I try my very best to ignore it and get on. But this wasn't something I could struggle through with on my own. I remember learning about the "Sick Role" in a previous Open University course. It involves taking on the responsibility of trying to get better, in exchange for certain privileges such as special food (jelly) to eat and being allowed to rest rather than carry out normal tasks such as work or chores. It isn't something I do very well with.

 It just goes to show the importance of having the support of good friends when you really need it. Without my friend, I would have been stuck on the sofa and my little girl would have been lonely and bored all day long.