Sick People

Dearest Rachel –

Well, I honestly thought I might get away with it. Given that my exercise regimen supposedly should have a positive effect on my health and immune system, I half-expected that I might be able to dodge whatever it is that Daniel came down with late last week. And maybe that’s still in effect insofar that I might well be feeling orders of magnitude worse were I not on this overall health kick. But I haven’t managed to escape it; yesterday saw me waking up with a raw throat, and by bedtime, I was sufficiently congested that I felt the need for a dose of NyQuil to help me sleep.

And this morning? Well, for starters, I didn’t wake up until half-past eight, despite putting myself to bed before ten last night. You might guess this means I’m not going to the gym today; and not just because I’d be late for ‘work,’ as I’m not bothering with that, either. All the symptoms from last night are still with me (although maybe my nose isn’t running as much as it was), and I really don’t want to distribute what I have to the general public any more than I already have.

To be sure, the ones I’d be most concerned about have already gotten it or have been exposed to it already. As I said, Daniel was dealing with it as of the weekend, while Dad has been battling it for the past couple of days (for which Daniel has been most apologetic about, concluding that he might have been the vector from which he got it). This, of course means that Mom has been exposed to it, and while she’s not come down with it yet, there’s no reason to head to the ‘office’ and double her exposure, now that I know what I’m dealing with myself.

Likewise with the gym; while its patrons tend to be those who are healthy – and intent on getting more so – they also tend to be older than even myself; it would not be a good idea to show up and start spreading anything from there. Besides, of all the times to not feel like working out (and with the addition of congestion and body aches to my usual lack of motivation, that is certainly the case here) this is a chance to recognize that I actually have an excuse not to bother with it, and give myself a day off.

***

The interesting thing about all this is the timing. As it so happens, I mentioned having an eye doctor appointment I on Monday (after which, I figure on taking Daniel to the village hall to cast our ballots for this election cycle), but in addition – and I was just reminded of this this morning – I have someone coming in from Blue Cross tomorrow to check on my health. I guess this is a service they offer, although I’d be curious as to know what their angle is about this. Maybe they’re checking for pre-existing conditions to drop from my coverage? I can’t imagine they’re doing this out of the goodness of their hearts; corporations, while considered to be people for legal purposes, don’t have hearts, after all. Still, if it’s a means to keep their customers healthy and happy, I guess there’s something to it. I doubt they can do much about this cold, though.

***

On the subject of excuses, there’s also the marathon coming up this weekend. I’ve been a bit torn about it, as I’ve gone to cheer the Team World Vision runners for the last several years – and, as you know, one of them in particular. Only, this year she’s running under her own lights, rather than under the team banner. So who do I support this time around? Well, given my condition, it looks like that question is going to be answered for me; I’d do well to just stay home and recover, and not cheer for either. At least this gives me a diplomatic way to avoid the situation.

***

And finally, on the subject of sick people, there are other things besides physical illness out there that I’ve found myself dealing with. I’d been telling Lars about another match I’d made on the latest dating app while we were walking yesterday – even going so far as to take a few pictures as we made our way through the forest preserve to show “her” where we were.

That use of “her” in quotes should be a tip-off that this is not going to go well, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now.

Last night, as I was getting myself ready for bed, I realized I was getting texts from “Sara,” asking me more about my walk, and what other things I do in my time away from the ‘office.’ I never bothered to explain to her that I was retired; I gave her the impression that I work independently, which isn’t that far removed from the truth. Besides, there’s no sense in giving a stranger too much information about your financial situation. To hold up my end of the conversation, I replied to her and volleyed the question back to her. At this point, she rattled off a list of activities that struck me as rather strange, but everyone has their own interests, after all.

There are words for this type of person, I suppose, but given the lack of, erm, colorful language in my vocabulary, I think I’ll stick with considering this to just be a different type of sickness than mine. After all, give me a couple of days, and I’ll have recovered from whatever it is I’m dealing with. A week from now – or sooner, unless I can make the report I put in on her stick – she’ll be going after some other sucker, and at best, be wasting both of their time. What she has is probably terminal.

Don’t bother keeping an eye on her, though, honey; just keep one on Daniel and me. Oh, and wish us luck; we’re going to need it.