Catch That…

My apologies for not blogging last week…I was cross-eyed, lying on the floor in misery.

I had the flu.

Here are my random (some fever-induced) observations from my bout with the stomach flu.

Why do they say “I caught the flu”?  I wasn’t chasing THAT down, by any means!

Why do teachers always get sick in the middle of the night?  That is SO inconvenient.  It is hard to write coherent plan notes while lying on the floor.

There is this little “honeymoon period” of the flu, when you have accepted the fact that this is the flu  you won’t be going to school the next day—but the full effects have not yet kicked in— that you have a little vision of what could be…

“It’s all right.  I will just wrap up in a blanket and curl up in my chair and watch those Gilmore Girls episodes I’ve been saving.  If I just stay quiet and nap a bit, I will feel better soon.  Maybe I’ll read a little, work on a puzzle…”  It sounds like a very civilized way to be ill–just keep your chin up and make the best of it.

Then the reality hits.  There will be no television watching, because even focusing your eyes on your cell phone screen hurts.  There will be no curling up in your favorite chair, because you cannot stand up and the living room is suddenly a mile or two away.  There will be no reading, because the book is too heavy to pick up.  What WILL happen is that your world will consist of your bed and the floor nearby, and that it even hurts to think.  The only thing to be done is to sleep and try not to move.

It doesn’t matter how old you are…the first thing you do when you have the flu is tell your mom.  And your mom will be quite grateful that you are having the flu far, far away from her house.  Which will not help, because you really want her to just come and feel sorry for you in the same room.

When you finally feel better, it’s like you have to learn how to be human again.  Even though it’s only been forty-eight hours since you were taken down, even walking into your front room for the first time feels like you are on vacation in a new land.  Changin your socks is fascinating and feels so good!  Nibbling tiny bites of toast makes you feel as if you are discovering exotic foods for the first time.  And when you are able to leave the house get into the driver’s seat of your car, you wonder if you still remember how to drive.  It’s like you have to re-establish your place in the universe.

Thankfully, it was a short-lived illness, and in due time I was back to my formerly human self.  I’ve fallen back into my own patterns of behavior and moved on with my schedule.  In the end, though, having the flu for a couple of days served to remind me of how precious it is to feel well and enjoy the days I’m given.  And…it reminded me to wash my hands.  All the time.  A lot.  No more germs.  I certainly wouldn’t want to “catch” anything else!