A recent nationwide survey found that three out of four people admit that they go to work when they are sick. So if you caught the flu from one of your co-workers who are to scared to stay home because they are worried about losing their job, you might think to yourself "Hey, I might just as well just go in and keep spreading it around just like 3/4 of my workmates did."
On the other hand, perhaps you are one of the few considerate people who don't drag your germy ass in to work (or the theater, or public transportation, etc.) when you are sick with something that is catchy.
If so, then you should be content in the knowledge that, if there is a Heaven, then you will be one of the Selected ones who is rewarded with eternal peace in a flu-free land where no coughs are heard, the phrase "gesundheit" is not necessary, and "the runs" is just a forgotton, earthly memory.
One of the surprise perks of Retirement is the no-fault ease of cancelling your luncheon or earlybird dinner outings with the other ROMEOs (Retired Old Men Eating Out).
We tend to be very understanding and forgiving when someone calls at the last-minute to say they can't make it because they have a cold. We don't want to catch it, so we are glad to re-schedule.
The thing is, when you are retired and on the slow track, it doesn't make much difference if you go to lunch on tuesday versus thursday. This week, next week, it's all the same. We don't have anything else to do except go fishing, play golf and go to our medical appointments.
And, none of us bounce back from those maladies the way we did in our youth. The old macho ethic (Wild horses couldn't keep me away) has given way to a heightened sensitivity to the role of microbes to our sense of well-being. We have become a generation of weenies. Now our comitment to a date is tempered with caveats about weather and health.
By the way, I hate going to medical appointments -- those waiting rooms are filled with sick people.
1 comment:
If everyone stayed home when they are sick, then illness would become a thing of the past. That is until someone caught the common cold. Then we all would die.
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