I recently caught a severe case of food poisoning, and it's been extremely debilitating. However, one of the silver linings has been the epiphany that everything in life is a gift. I had lost my physical ability to do anything - my autonomy to live. I missed the Sunday morning pickup basketball sessions and pasta nights hosted by my close friends, both literally and figuratively.

As I chugged fluids, it became abundantly clear to me that a lot of us can lead very rich lives, and sometimes it takes a difficult period to realize it. During struggle, what was once viewed as mundane becomes gold. A life void of illness is fortunate, but it's important to also recognize that that fortune isn't a given, it's a blessing. To be able is to be gifted.

Without health, we have nothing. We have to cherish every waking moment, because our time is finite and irreversible. Being ill has served as the catalyst to being more alive - a gift that many don't have.