A few things you should know:
I don’t get sick
often. Sniffle, sniffle, cough, cough –
yeah, sure. That happens to all of
us. But really, really sick. Nah, not me.
Maybe it’s the flu shot that I get every year religiously. Maybe it’s my super-human immune system. Whatever.
The last time that I got really, really sick was like
ten years ago. It wasn’t fun then and it
wasn’t fun now.
I rarely call out of work sick. This week, I had to do it twice. At the end of the government’s fiscal
year. I failed my team. I failed my agency. I failed you, the American people. To top it all off, I probably infected a
bunch of colleagues. Talk about guilt. On the bright side…aww heck, there isn’t a
bright side.
I’m not stocked with the proper supplies to survive getting
sick. Well, I’m actually not stocked
with the proper supplies to survive much of anything. But I can usually run to the store to get
those supplies. Not this week. (Although I did go out to get
ginger ale. In my pajamas with a huge
hole in the back of my pants. I didn’t
much care.)
I live by myself.
Living by oneself when one is sick sucks. When my brother (who also lives by
himself) gets sick, my mom is at his house in seven minutes with chicken noodle
soup and ginger ale to make sure he’s okay.
Because she lives seven minutes away from him. My mom lives two and a half hours and $35 in
tolls away from me. She doesn’t bring me
chicken noodle soup. Probably because of
the tolls.
I’m not the best when it comes to asking for help. I always thought that meant I was strong and
independent. Really, it just means I
have a huge flaw in my character.Operation Influenza Drop |
This week I needed a little help from my friends.
And by the power of social media – and my mom – help was
generously offered and gratefully accepted.
One of my friends brought me medicine and tea bags and soup and even a
pile of DVDs. Other friends offered to
bring me anything that I needed. That
meant a lot to me. Especially when I got
all maudlin and weepy when I was sure that I was going to shrivel up and die
and the only people that would notice would be my little cat family. Did I mention that I tend to be a little
dramatic?
I’m incredibly thankful.
-----
And now, a few observations that I made during my sick daze
–
Having no ABC soap operas to get me through from noon-thirty
to four o’clock was just sad. The death
of the soap opera is the death of an art form!
They canceled “All My Children” for “The Chew”???
Ginger ale is disgusting.
There’s a reason I usually only drink brown sodas. (And now for a brief tangent – this is why I
believe restaurants have a moral responsibility to inform patrons that the Coke
machine isn’t working before they pay for their drink – clear sodas stink. Do you hear that Boston Market?!)
The ladies on “The View” are annoying. So are the ladies on “The Talk” although they
are more diverse - two black ladies, a
lesbian, a Brit, and a media mogul’s wife versus two black ladies, a Republican,
an octogenarian, and Joy Behar.
Saltines are good crumbled up in soup.
Anderson Cooper is good people. (Full disclosure, I met Anderson Cooper at a
book signing once – he seemed like a genuine guy!)
Cats don’t care that their human might be sick. They just want food. And they’ll walk all over you to get it.
Katie Couric’s stage looks like a giant kidney bean.
I get a lot of calls from 1-800 numbers during the day. I thought I was on a Do Not Call list
somewhere!
Being sick is no fun.
----
Finally feeling much better!
Although – in my never-ending quest to understand the definition of
irony – is it ironic that I’m going for my flu shot next week? Or just rotten luck?
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