The annual medical exam is a ritual. What is more interesting than the exam itself is the preparation that precedes it. A month before the appointment, something shifts in the people around you. Those who drink stop drinking. Those who have not seen the inside of a gym in months suddenly become regulars. I have always found this transformation fascinating.
This year, I was sitting with Pappettan and a friend at a café when the friend arrived looking visibly lighter. He had just received his blood work results.
Friend: satisfied The doctor said my results are much better this year.
Me: genuinely happy That is wonderful. What changed?
Friend: proudly I stopped drinking last month. Started going to the gym every morning too.
Me: impressed That is real discipline.
Pappettan: interested How did you feel during that one month?
Friend: enthusiastically Much better. More energy, better sleep.
Pappettan: nodding Then why not continue?
Friend: shrugs The exam is done now.
Pappettan: after a pause And next year, you will do the same preparation again?
Friend: without hesitation Of course.
Pappettan: So you are not getting healthier. You are getting better at passing the exam.
I had no answer to that. I am not sure my friend did either.
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