What I've Learned After A Week With The Flu

March 2017 - the month we all got the flu - or as I like to call it - when the bubonic plague hit North St.

The flu took us down this past week..hard...flattened.  All four of us burning with fever, immobilized by exhaustion,  wracked with hacking coughs and fierce sore throats.   No exaggeration.  We spent days and days and days and days on the couch surrounded by tissues, empty water glasses, tea cups, soup bowls, and general disarray because not one of us was well enough to move.  And here's what I learned:

1.  Make friends.   They can help by bringing warm soup, fresh bread, or other necessary remedies.
     (Thank god we have some!)

2.  Just lie there.   Give it up.  Don't even try to do anything at all until it breaks and you are free again.

3.  When you are lying there so sure you are dying, unable to sleep, finding comfort in nothing, hang on to the
     tiny thought that you will get better.   This too shall pass.

4.  Know how lucky you are if there is no vomiting and in this case there was NO VOMITING

5.  Kids heal faster than grown ups.

6.  Kids can lay around doing nothing more easily than grown ups.

7.  You will examine your whole life while you are feverish and everything will feel and look bleak and
     depressing and you'll wonder what you ever did of worth in your life.....
     yet, once you feel better you'll remember you are a good person and there is a sun.

8.  You'll want to drink a lot of water.   It'll be easy to drink a lot of water.  And tea.  And juice.  And broth.

9.  Don't feel guilty for taking time off from work.  Take what you need.

10.  You're going to blow through a bottle of advil.  Keep it on hand for just this reason.

11.  Make sure you have some really cozy blankets handy.  Enough for everyone.

12.  You won't care if you wear the same clothes for days and days, or what your hair looks like.

13.  Brush your teeth though....even if you don't feel like it.   It makes your mouth happy, and you'll feel
       really proud of yourself for accomplishing something.

14.  You'd never guess how many solicitor calls you'll get on your home phone during the day and you'll
       hate the ring tone by the end of the week.   Unplug the evil phone.

15.  Getting sick - really sick - sucks.  Wish it on no one.