Is your check engine light on?
The Honeycrisp apple looked like something out of a fall catalogue. It was oversized, perfectly round, and a nice mix of red and green hues. As I cut it into slices for my son's after school snack, I couldn't help but snag a bite. But I was disappointed -- it had no taste! What a bummer. A little bit later, I popped a mint in my mouth. Once again, I tasted nothing.
Uh oh. Covid?!
I had been fighting (what I thought was) a sinus infection all week. My mind's eye skipped back to two days earlier. I had taken my car in for new brakes and felt absolutely exhausted when I walked the one mile back to the repair shop to pick it up. I had known my usual OTC cold remedies weren't working, that the congestion was getting worse, and that the antibiotics weren't helping. Now it all made sense. I spent the next day in bed because I was too tired to move.
As I lay there, the irony hit me: if I had ignored the brake warnings on my car, I would have been left stranded on the side of the road -- or much, much worse. The car made sure I couldn't ignore it needed new brakes. It had pinged and dinged incessantly, displaying a message to "Stop driving and replace the brakes immediately" that persisted until I manually shut it off. And just so I wouldn't forget, the word "BRAKE" light up on the dashboard -- even when the car was off.
Our bodies do the same, if only we're willing to listen. I ignored all my internal pings and dings, so I'm grateful I lost taste and smell -- as odd as that was -- because it was the red flag I needed to FINALLY rest and recover. So although those senses are still a bit dulled, I have a proverbial bitter taste in my mouth about how I treated myself.
I share this story in case it resonates with you in this busy, off to the races season. Is your internal check engine light on? If so, pull over, take a break, and get back on the road... after you've gotten your tune up.
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