Admit it. You’re sick. It’s NOT allergies again.
Do you have people in your circle that can’t admit they are sick? I’m not an actual germaphobe but I do try to stay clear of people who are sick. On multiple occasions, I’ve had people in my office, actually leaning on my desk saying, “Wow. I’m really sick. I’ve got a cough, fever. I’m hacking up stuff, my head hurts” and they run on for a couple of minutes describing what they are going through. That makes me want to smack them and point out, “Now we ALL have it!!!”
My new favorite is people saying, “I’m not contagious” which has now evolved to, “My DOCTOR said I’m not contagious.” Really? I did a Google search for “How long are you contagious when you’ve got a cold?“. You are contagious 3 or 4 days before you ever feel a cold coming on and you are still contagious for a couple of weeks or more AFTER your symptoms have cleared up. We often hear them say, “But I don’t have a fever so I’m not contagious”. Again, when did you become such an advanced scientist that you have all of this information? You can infect others, even if your fever has gone away.
I have guilt issues so if I’m sick, I’m going to wear a mask. Not because I’m required to wear a mask by the government. I can’t handle the guilt of making someone sick. And I love the people who tell you, “I’m not sick. I think it’s allergies“. I forgot. Where is your medical degree hanging? Oh, you don’t have one!!!
When I first moved to Virginia decades ago, I went to the doctor and told him I had a cold. He said, “You don’t have a cold. You have allergies.” To which I said, “My wife has allergies but not ME”. He said, “We actually studied this in medical school. Your eyes are red and your throat is not. That’s allergies”. I took an allergy pill and it was gone in no time. But NOW I want to do that same test on the people who insist on showing up, socializing with everyone and not admitting they have a cold or the flu. WHY?!!! Go away!!!
Another thing I’ve learned by being married to someone who has awful allergies is that they look forward to the first freeze in the fall. Why? Well, because after a really solid freeze, a lot of allergy-causing-particles and crap in the air go away.
I’m weird about trying to not get sick because over the last decade or so, when I do get a cold, I get a cough that I can’t kick. And I get that kind of cough that feels like it will blow the top of your head off. That’s why I want those who are SURE they’re not sick to assume they are and to keep it to themselves. When I’m around someone with the slightest symptoms, I go home and knock down one of those Airborne tablets in a glass of water and have my wife do the same. She hates that.
One thing I have found really makes you feel better when you have a cold or flu, is to have …a chicken pot pie. I don’t know if it’s the heat of the chicken soup inside the crust or what but, WOW. That’s my only recommendation next time you are sick or someone in your circle is fighting a cold. Get them a pot pie. From the KFC pot pies to Cracker Barrel, Marie Calendar’s, Denny’s or a few others. It’s not a cure but it’s relief for the next half hour or so.
