by Jack Croxall

Growing up in rural England I was obsessed with the outdoors. Bug hunting, fossil collecting, and pond dipping were what I spent most of my time doing. But, during my time at university (living in the city of Nottingham and then in London), there wasn’t as much opportunity to get out in nature. Once I became ill with CFS, I moved out of the concrete jungle and back to the countryside.

Back home, I was virtually bed-bound and so my outdoor excursions were limited. But, oh, how I looked forward to them! Just being able to get out in the sun, to look at the trees, to listen to the birds sing, and maybe even see a butterfly or two. Sadly, when I say my excursions were limited, I really mean it. On a good day I could walk for maybe two minutes before having to turn back. And there are not many places you can get to in two minutes. It was only after more than a year of spending most of my time in bed that I finally managed to walk for five minutes. And five minutes was a huge, huge deal.

Five minutes away from my house, down a dirt track and nestled in a little grove of trees, is a pond. It’s not enormous – maybe half the size of a football pitch – but I absolutely love it. It comes alive in the spring with a chorus of frogs and toads chirping in the reeds. In the summer, it’s home to ducks, moorhens, and even kingfisher. Shoals of little fish can be seen basking in the sun at the surface, and, in the deepest part of the water, talk of a monster carp. The pond catches the sun all day and so it was the perfect place to walk to, to sit down, to relax and spend some time with nature.

But after a few months of going to the pond whenever I was able, I did start to wonder if the somewhat lonely experience could be improved by spending it with a friend. After all, I didn’t get to see many people and traveling was still extremely difficult for me. About the same time, I found out that a friend’s dog was going to have puppies and a solution seemed to present itself. I wasn’t certain though as I knew getting a puppy would be a big responsibility. And, given how ill I was, I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to care for a dog properly. Luckily, my family promised to pitch in whenever I wasn’t feeling up to it and that sealed it!

Seven years ago, Archie the chocolate Labrador puppy arrived and I had my friend! Whenever I left the house Archie came with me, and knowing he always needed walking motivated me to try and get out as much as I could. Having CFS means that I need to spend a lot of time resting, but having Archie to keep me company has made that much more bearable. I think feeling low and depressed is a component of CFS that many sufferers struggle with, but Archie is just always so happy and it’s infectious! Archie loves the pond as well. We still go there together most days and he’s content to lay beside me as we watch the wildlife or as I listen to podcasts. Sometimes he goes off into the undergrowth to sniff around or to find a stick to bring me, and he’s only jumped in the water after the stones I skim about seventy-three thousand times.

I genuinely think the pond and Archie have been a huge factor in improving my quality of life. But what about you? Have animals and nature helped you through illness and/or a difficult time? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!

Jack Croxall is an author/blogger living in Nottinghamshire, UK. He posts for Allies Everywhere monthly.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackCroxall

Site/blog: http://jackcroxall.co.uk

Books: https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Croxall/e/B00BBX48NK

Photos by Jason Croxall

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