My Wheelchair, and a Grumpy Cow from Switzerland: A Postcard Story

 Today was a very, very hard day. My body, my house, decided to lock all its doors. My back said, "No, you cannot stand up straight." My knees said, "No, we will not bend." My waist said, "I am a frozen rock." I could not stand. I could not walk. My legs forgot how to work.

 The pain was a big, heavy blanket. It was everywhere. For days, I have been sick with this ‘demam urat’. But today, it was the boss. I knew I could not fight it alone.

 Thankfully, I have a friend. A very good friend. He came to my house. He saw me. He did not ask many questions. He came with my own wheelchair. The one that has been my companion on other hard days. Today, that chair was my legs. That chair was my freedom. My friend was my hero.

 We went to the clinic. A government clinic. There were so many people. Everyone was waiting. We waited. And waited. And waited. One hour passed. Two hours passed. Three hours passed. Time was a sleepy turtle. It moved so slowly. I sat in my wheelchair. I tried to be patient. But the pain was shouting inside my body.

 Finally, it was my turn. The doctor was kind. He understood. He gave me a prescription for a medicine called Celebrex. But he said, "I am sorry, we do not have this medicine here." So, my friend, my hero, pushed me to the pharmacy. We bought the medicine.

 When we got home, I was so tired. A deep, deep tired. My mouth tasted bitter. I could only eat a tiny piece of bread. Just a little bite. Then, I took the medicine. The Celebrex, and two Paracetamol. I closed my eyes. And I prayed.

 And then... slowly, slowly... the magic started. The shouting inside my body became a whisper. The frozen rock in my waist started to melt. The locked doors in my knees and my back started to open, one by one. The heavy blanket of pain was lifted. Syukur, Alhamdulillah. Thank you, God. The feeling was so good. It felt like sunshine after a long, dark storm.

 Now, my body is quiet. It is resting. And my mind wants to go on an adventure. So, I reach for my box of treasures. My box of postcards.

 My fingers searched for one special card. A card that made me so, so happy when I first got it. I can still remember how wide I smiled that day. It was the very first postcard I ever received from Postcrossing. A club where strangers send postcards to each other all over the world. It came to me in August 2024. A whole year ago. It came from a country called Switzerland.

 I look at the picture. It is a cow. But it is not just any cow. This cow has a very strong face. He is brown. His ears are big and fluffy, like two soft cushions. He has two strong horns that point to the sky. He is looking right at me. One of his eyes is a little bit closed. He looks a little bit grumpy. A little bit cheeky. He is saying, "Hello. What are you looking at?"

 Behind him are big, beautiful mountains. They are covered in snow at the top. The sky is blue. The trees are golden. The cow is the king of this mountain. He is strong. He is healthy. He is free.

 I think about my day. I was in a wheelchair. I could not move. I was trapped by my pain. This cow is standing on his four strong legs. He can walk anywhere he wants. He is not trapped.

 I ask my friend, Cik Gem, to tell me more about this strong mountain cow. Cik Gem says this cow is a special breed called Braunvieh, or Brown Swiss. They are very strong and calm animals. They live high up in the mountains, in the Swiss Alps. They eat fresh green grass and breathe clean mountain air. Many of them wear big, clanging bells around their necks. Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of the bells is the music of the mountains.

 I look at the cow's face again. He is not just grumpy. He is proud. He is proud of his mountain home. He is proud of his strong body. He has no idea about wheelchairs, or long waits in clinics, or bitter-tasting medicine. His life is simple. Eat grass. Walk around. Look at the beautiful view. Mooooo.

 This postcard, this first-ever postcard, came to me for a reason today. Today, my body was weak. But I look at this picture, and I feel strong. The mountain is strong. The cow is strong. The picture reminds me that my body can be strong again too.

 The pain was a locked door. The medicine was the key. And this postcard... this postcard is the beautiful view outside the window. It is a picture of health. A picture of freedom. A picture of a simple, strong life.

 So, Mr. Grumpy Cow from Switzerland, thank you. Thank you for being my first Postcrossing friend. Thank you for visiting me on a very hard day. You did not bring medicine. But you brought a different kind of magic. You brought the magic of the mountains. The magic of a simple life. And you reminded my heart that even after the longest wait, relief will come. And even after the biggest pain, there is still a beautiful, wide world out there, waiting to be explored.

 Maybe not in a wheelchair next time. Maybe on my own two feet. Or maybe... on my big bike. VROOM! What do you think of that, Mr. Cow?

 If you enjoyed this story, you can also travel with me to Germany..