Stuck in the hospital

I hate the feeling of being stuck. I'm in the hospital now. The doctor's discovered that my left lung has collapsed. Silly me, I thought I was just having some back spasms. I'm extremely frustrated because I've worked hard at staying healthy this summer. I go to pulmonary rehab twice each week. I just biked seven miles on my exercycle. I am actually feeling pretty darn good which makes being in the hospital all the more challenging. I want to go home. I want to hang out with my friends who are vacationing at my house. We've been planning our camping trip to Cades Cove since February. Today they will go without me because I am trapped here.

Picture quick sand that sucks you down, the more you wrestle, the deeper into the mire you sink. Here is a survivor's tip for the day- if you're ever trapped in quick sand, to escape you must relax. It's true, check your boy scout guide. To get out of the pit it is best to lay back as if you are floating and thus redistribute your body weight until you are resting on the surface of the muck, only in this position of surrender can you make any real progress in your attempt to get free. I know this to be true about the hospital as well or any situation where we have no control.
Think about it, the things that matter most are the things we have the least control over- our health, our future, our relationships (ever try to control someone else? not a pretty sight). All our striving, all our effort to make life work for us, most of it is far beyond our control. I've spent the last twenty-four hours crying, longing to be released from my current predicament. I've cursed, I've screamed, I've hit the pillows, I've prayed, nothing changes, I'm still here. Today the best I can hope for is to relax in the moment, kick up my heels and float along. Perhaps I can get hold of some good narcotics while I'm here, that might help.