Instrospection: 5 things I learned from the flu
Candace and I decided our Sunday would be better spent dealing with the flu than enjoying more pleasant things like church, family and eating carbs. Thanks to my wonderful in-laws, we didn’t have to care for the two little ones, so we spent the day sleeping (four hour nap) and watching CSI via Netflix (four episodes).
After sleeping off the worst headache of my life, I came to realize a few things about myself.
- I am petrified of vomiting – Sure, nobody likes to throw up. But, it truly destroys me. I kick. I scream. I cry. I moan. Not to mention, my body never wants to stop. I continue to heave long after I’m empty. I will do anything to avoid vomiting. I’d rather endure hours and hours of nausea than just give it up.
- When I’m sick, I’m a wimp – I remember my dad’s generation when they were sick. They’d do extra work just prove it couldn’t stop them. “Walking pneumonia be damned, I’m gonna cut down five trees after working a 12 hour day.” Not me. When I’m sick I want to lay in bed and have Candace bring cold ice water with a straw and apple sauce in a small bowl.
- I start to wonder what life was like when I wasn’t sick – Last night as I sat next to the toilet with a migraine that was teetering me close to #1, I was trying to remember what it was like when I didn’t have a headache. Yes, if I thought rationally about it, I could recall a few moments, but there were times when I couldn’t remember.
- I enjoy being sick with my wife – While I’d never wish the flu on anyone but my worst enemies, if Candace and I are both going to get sick, it’s nice to do it together. With two small kids we don’t get a lot of down time together, so spending a whole day just lounging around was pretty nice. Definitely the brightest spot in the day.
- I love living close to family – While my parents are, sadly, eight hours away, Candace’s parents live just twenty minutes a way. Having in-laws that instantly dropped their plans for the day to take care of our kids so we could relax and recover was wonderful. I’m glad we weren’t stuck caring for them ourselves.
