The most important things remain here

A dear friend with whom I have made the best memories of my entire childhood has had a relapse of her illness. She is only 28 years old, but she has been battling lupus for almost a decade, a disease that I have seen take so much from her. She is currently fighting with all her strength to get better, but she had to be admitted to the hospital, and we all know how difficult that is.

At a time like this, the truth is that my emotions overwhelm me, mainly imagining what she might be feeling. It is difficult to see someone you love experiencing pain, discomfort, or fear, especially when you can't do anything about it. But even in this situation, visiting her in the hospital reminded me of something important, and that is that there are things, even in illness, that are more important than the illness itself.

I am a very strong person and have spent many years fighting hard, but recently I found myself realizing what was most important. It wasn't money, even though it allows her to get the supplies for tests, or even pay for them. No, for her, the most important thing was not being alone in this, being able to count on people who love her and who not only help her in practical ways, but also accompany her, listen to her, and above all, make her feel that she is not alone in this.

She knows that in situations like this, what has helped me the most has been having company. And even when her physical discomfort prevents her from doing many things, rather than focusing on that, she focuses on taking advantage of what is most important to her. In situations like this, we learn why we fight so hard for the most essential things, the things that seem simplest and easiest, but only because they have no monetary value. But if they did, would we have enough money to buy them? No.

Life is full of many obstacles and difficulties that can make it an uphill battle, so complicating it by taking on more unnecessary burdens or living to keep up appearances, to have more, to fill ourselves with things is so vain, so futile, and does not really lead to any kind of internal growth, that it is not worth it to me. In the bed next to my friend was a person who had also been ill. I could see how she reacted when her son arrived to accompany her, and I am absolutely certain that her reaction was so genuine that inside she felt a great deal of gratitude and love.

So there are things that cannot be avoided, such as getting sick or being in a difficult situation. But being able to focus on what is most important, valuing what has no cost but is too costly at the same time, is what will help us in difficult times to get up, to breathe, and to let go of burdens that only oppress us, limit us, and hurt us. Not living wanting more and more helps us live with more of what is true, lasting, and fulfilling internally.