I was a little girl, just about ten or eleven years old, when I realized I was allergic to water puddles.
Whenever rain fell, if I had to go anywhere, the sight of water puddles gathering in the road or on pavements would be enough for me to break out in hives.
I'd start thinking about dirty shoes or garbage or maybe a stray dog relieving itself, and I'd imagine the water touching my skin and I'd freeze.
My loved ones didn't immediately understand this illness because it came out of nowhere, but then they saw the bumps on my skin, recognized my pain, and my mother took me to a doctor who diagnosed my illness as urticaria.
For a quick definition, Mayo Clinic defines urticaria as: "red, itchy welts that result from a skin reaction." The causes listed include but are not limited to insects and parasites, infection, scratching, heat or cold, stress, sunlight, and exercise.
As I grew older, my allergies worsened. I went from scorning water puddles to breaking out in hives if I perspired, and as you might imagine, this illness crippled me.
I couldn't go walking with friends. I couldn't go to the gym. I couldn't do anything because at the slightest excursion my skin would protest. And it wasn't just the fact that little bumps appeared on my skin either. They itched so badly that I would tear at my skin.
As a reaction to the pain and embarrassment my hives caused, I became a recluse. I reasoned that if I didn't exercise then I wouldn't perspire and if I didn't perspire, I wouldn't itch.
In the same vein, if I stayed at home and didn't go anywhere, I wouldn't be exposed to dirty water puddles in the street, and if I didn't encounter dirty water puddles, I wouldn't itch.
I know, I know, it wasn't my wisest moment, but this is how I survived for years. Unfortunately, during this time while I survived with the bare minimum, I missed out on a lot.
Some years ago, after a life threatening incident which might have been avoided had I been more active, I resolved to spend more time focused on healthy practices and I began to walk more, just a little bit every day.
Walking after so many years wasn't easy.
At first, I was forced to stop as soon as the first beads of perspiration appeared, but then I began to push past the pain and to resist the urge to tear at my skin, until I absolutely couldn't anymore.
I began to walk in spurts. I'd walk and then stop, wait for the hives to go down, and then walk again.
With time, I noticed that the itching was receding. My skin took longer to burn until it didn't anymore. With persistence, I overcame my weakness.
Now guys, this is not medical advice, for I am not a doctor and chronic urticaria can be life threatening.
Moving away from this particular ailment though, and taking a broader view at handicaps or obstacles in general, I think that the same thing applies to everyday life.
We encounter situations in life that can present a block and make us feel like it's impossible to push past, and if we nurture that fear, we are crippled by it.
And so, my friends, my recommendation to you is whatever challenge you face, no matter how insurmountable it may seem, do not give up. If you can't overcome it all at once, take bite sized pieces every day. Chip away at your mountain and, with time, you'd have the triumph you seek.
