More possum repercussions

Last week was a heavy week.

After the possum bit me on a Friday night, we were supposed to kill it, refrigerate it and then give it to the University of Minnesota so it could be tested for rabies. We did that, and on the following Monday the University called us to say they could not test the possum because its brain had turned to mush. They recommended that I get rabies shots.

I did not get the shots. The Minnesota Department of Health says that only one possum in the state has ever tested positive for rabies, and so I had a pretty low risk of exposure. Also, my wound was small and shallow, which lowers my chances of getting the disease, according to my doctor. (She strongly encouraged me to get the shots anyway.)

If that possum has given me rabies, I will die a terrible death and there will be nothing anyone can do about it. I went online to learn more and ended up looking at pictures of people and animals that were dying of the disease. It was like catching a glimpse of a demon. I think it is possible that diseases have awareness and a spiritual character much like plants do. If I were around it, I might be able to “hear” the disease, the way I “hear” the awareness of plants, but I do not want to be around it. It is an embodiment of horror. Thankfully, the chances that I will experience that horror are very low.

I was afraid of getting the shots because my osteopath said the shots might cause me more chronic sickness and pain. I believe this guy even though his advice runs contrary to other information because he has healed me when other people could not. When my repetitive stress injuries prevented me from picking up toys from the floor or washing dishes, the regular doctors gave me braces that messed up my elbows and started talking about surgery even though they said I was not a good candidate for it. The osteopath started working with my collarbone, and my arms got much better. When I experienced a low-level stomach flu for a few years, the regular doctors gave me pills that did not work. The osteopath put me on a strict diet that helped me feel like a regular person again. It seems to me like he goes to the root of the problem instead of fixing the symptom and leaving the main problem alone. (He also said that in spite of his concerns, he could not advise me to forgo the shots.)

As I considered getting the shots, it seemed like I had to choose between a very low chance of death and a fair chance of pain and disability. I have had enough pain and disability. I don’t want any more. There are so many things that I want to do with this life. Every day, I find myself panting after breathtaking beauty. I want so much to be free to dance and run after it, and to lift heavy things as I pursue it.