DECEMBER 8
When I asked the orthopedic surgeon who treated me
whether people often fracture bones after bereavement, he
said, without even looking up from my injured foot, “Natur-
ally, people lose their sense of balance.”
—LILY PINCUSSometimes it’s not as specific as that—the body reacting
with its own wounds to a wound of mind and spirit. But it
is well known that after a serious loss, our bodies are more
prone to injury and disease. So it behooves us to take partic-
ularly good care of ourselves—to be more careful about diet,
about driving when we’re tired, and to try to get some extra
rest.
Do we have more accidents because we’re depressed and
don’t care as much about keeping ourselves healthy—even
keeping ourselves alive? Are we careless because we’re
preoccupied with grief? Is there something in the chemistry
of grief that affects our immune system and makes it harder
for our bodies to fight infection? The relationship between
mind and body is being examined as never before, and
there’s much that we don’t know.
But we do know we are at extra risk, and in deference to
ourselves and to those we love, we would do well to take
the best care of ourselves that we can.
I have much to live for, and I’ll live for it better if I’m healthy!