My Fourth of July Nostalgia & What I Learned From That Day

Hint: ER + hotdogs

Fourth of July weekend makes me nostalgic, but not for the reasons you may think. 

Picture this… 

It’s summer of 2015 and I’m in NYC interning at Diane von Furstenburg. It’s Fourth of July weekend, which means it’s the one weekend my fellow interns and I get to take a break from slave labor (let’s be real) and enjoy a day off. 

My parents and younger brother have just flown out to spend the weekend with me. I’m giddy with excitement at the opportunity to play tour guide and parade them all over Manhattan in the sweltering heat. 

It’s Day 1 of their visit, and I wake up with a horrible stomach ache. 

“Seriously??” I thought to myself, cursing the timing. I pull myself together and walk over to the hotel. 

Determination is in my blood—I’m not letting a stomach ache ruin my plans!

We make our way to my favorite artisanal sandwich shop in Soho—Alidoro (my recommendation: order the “Matthew”, you can’t go wrong). I’m already dreaming of the fresh mozzarella and hoping we get there in time for the “good bread.” 

But by the time we get off the subway and arrive in Soho, my stomach is wrenching and causing me to double over in pain. All I can think is “what did I eat??”. 

(Hint: little did I know, it wasn’t something I ate). 

After what felt like an eternity schlepping myself back onto the subway and back to my apartment, I plopped myself back in bed and under the covers. 

After a few hours of unsuccessful napping, lying in the fetal position and writhing in pain from the unrelenting sharp abdomen pain, my parents decided to take me to the hospital. 

Long story short, it wasn’t something I ate. It was appendicitis. 

An emergency late-night laparoscopic surgery and overnight hospital stay later, I was finally pain free (with the help of the meds at least). 

Our Fourth of July festivities in a crowded city like New York didn’t go exactly as planned. 

(I mean, can you imagine getting elbowed in a crowd when you have three fresh wounds on your stomach? 😱). 

What I learned from that Independence day experience:

1. No matter how hard you try to plan, sh** still goes out the window. You’ve got to be able to roll with the punches. 

2. Listen to your gut (pun intended). If something doesn’t feel quite right, listen to that. 

3. Enjoy the little things in life because you never know what’s going to come at you. 

With Independence Day coming up here in the US, and despite all the chaos that seems to surround us and the threats made to our own independence, we need to celebrate the little things as much as possible. 

Celebrate by doing something for your own health and well-being. 

Even if that means eating a hot dog, in the sunshine, relaxing with friends and family…

And yes, you CAN indulge in a hot dog! 

But as a Health Coach, here are my tips:

✔️Eat mindfully

✔️Choose packaged foods that have the least amount of ingredients and preservatives

✔️Choose brands with ingredients you can actually pronounce 👍

Take some time to relax, breathe deep, and do whatever to take care of yourself. 

Your wellness is worth celebrating.