| I was involved in something at the weekend | | | | the odd 'kerblam' as I eventually made it |
| that left me feeling guilty. Was I actually | | | | home. |
| guilty though, and how can this lesson affect | | | | |
| us all? | | | | I could do nothing over the weekend except |
| | | | let the illness take its' course, feeling |
| I was playing in my first curling tournament. | | | | ever more guilty about wrecking the |
| It's a micro niche sport in this country, | | | | tournament for my team mates. There was an |
| in fact there are only 3 purpose built sheets | | | | entry fee to play so I felt quite bad. |
| in the whole of England, and I was delighted | | | | |
| last year to find that they are only a 40 | | | | Here's the point of this article though - was |
| minute drive from me. | | | | I right to feel guilty? Was it really my |
| | | | fault? |
| I knew I was playing against better players | | | | |
| than me, with years of experience, but I was | | | | Yes, the team's weekend had been mucked up |
| looking forward to learning from the | | | | because of me, but was it a situation I could |
| experience and having fun. I did have fun | | | | control? |
| too, for the first 90 minutes. Then, | | | | |
| completely from nowhere I felt the first | | | | Most migraine sufferers have triggers, and |
| symptoms of a migraine, as my eyes were | | | | mine include sharp lights and too much |
| unable to focus, and there were large areas | | | | cheese. If I had sat staring at the sun |
| of my vision which were 'missing.' | | | | while munching on half a pound of cheese and |
| | | | then got a migraine, it could be argued that |
| For anyone that doesn't suffer migraines, | | | | it was my fault, but since I hadn't done |
| think yourself lucky, because you wouldn't | | | | anything of the sort, I was wrong to feel |
| wish it on your worst enemy, it really is | | | | guilty. |
| most unpleasant. I always have my pills with | | | | |
| me, but the delay between the first symptom | | | | To be honest I just don't like letting people |
| and taking the pills was too long, and I knew | | | | down, but whereas I *felt* guilty, the |
| that the full symptoms were coming my way, | | | | *facts* really didn't back that up. |
| with a 3 day stretch until recovery. | | | | |
| | | | It's exactly this kind of taking a feeling as |
| This was on Friday night, with the curling | | | | fact which stops us achieving many things in |
| tournament scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. | | | | life. We feel that we can't do something, |
| I had no option but to explain to my team | | | | and turn this feeling into a fact. |
| mates that I wouldn't be playing, and to set | | | | |
| off home. | | | | Once we recognise that we do this, we can |
| | | | step back and separate what we have as a |
| I had hoped to get home before the vomiting | | | | feeling from the cold hard facts. It is |
| started, but only got half way, having to | | | | amazing how much clearer everything seems, |
| drive the remaining 15 miles stopping every | | | | how much more is possible when you do this, |
| mile to paint the pavement. My artistic | | | | so make sure that when you next declare a |
| approach could be described as 'scattergun', | | | | fact about yourself, be certain that it *is* |
| if you get my drift. There were plenty of | | | | a fact, and not just a feeling. |
| 'splats', a couple of 'splodges', and even | | | | |