A Fable in the Flesh

The Goods and the Ills

All the Goods were once driven out by the Ills from that common share which they had in the affairs of mankind; for the Ills by reason of their numbers had prevailed to possess the earth. The Goods wafted themselves to heaven and asked for a righteous vengeance on their persecutors. They entreated Jupiter that they might no longer be associated with the Ills, as they had nothing in common and could not live together, but were engaged in unceasing warfare; and that an indissoluble law might be laid down for their future protection. Jupiter granted their request and decreed that henceforth the Ills should visit the earth in company with each other, but that the Goods should one by one enter the habitations of men. Hence it arises that Ills abound, for they come not one by one, but in troops, and by no means singly, while the Goods proceed from Jupiter, and are given, not alike to all, but singly, and separately; and one by one to those who are able to discern them.

Aesop was a wise man.

The stress of going from Pearl Lagoon to Managua and back in a four day period definitely takes its toll on the body; after 14 hours of self-imposed dehydration, heat, dust, and bone-jarring bumps, I arrived in Pearl Lagoon exhausted. Three days later, I had to make another trip – this time to Bluefields. Although the second trip was far less extensive (a one-hour boat ride), it was made in the rain, then followed by a sleepless overnight stay before returning home the next morning. The combined travel resulted in a fresh cold – nothing too bad, but enough to slow me down and make me mildly miserable.

Then I started to feel a pain in my lower left leg. Within two days, my ankle area had become swollen, red, and hot to the touch. Cellulitis! I was prescribed a course of antibiotics and told to notify the Peace Corps Medical Office in the event that the situation failed to improve, or worse. Praying that my infection would not turn out to have been caused by the multi-drug resistant form of a staph bacteria known as MRSA (no more trips to Managua for me, please!), I took my first pill and sat down on the porch with a book to relax.

At which point I was bitten on my palm by a yellow fly, and my hand and arm swelled like a balloon. An itchy, burning balloon. I slathered myself with hydrocortisone and called it a night.

 The next morning, another yellow fly bit the back of my thigh while I was washing clothes outside. Again, massive amounts of swelling and itching. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I thought to myself, as I once again reached for the hydrocortisone.

It’s now a little more than a week later. The effects of the viruses, bacteria, and insects that ganged up on me have faded, and I’m more or less back to normal.

“So where’s the Good?” you’re probably thinking.

Well, just take a look at these awesome sandals I found in Managua! A steal at only $6, they are durable, easy to clean, and (trust me when I say this) quite Nica-rific.

Oh yeah, and my SPA application was accepted!

Words of the Week: Lo bueno y lo malo – the good and the bad