Raspy Is My Name, Don’t Wear It Out

When I woke up Monday morning, I felt the start of a cold coming on.  Since the head of staff at the church decided to close the office on the Monday after Easter, I didn’t worry too much about the remnants of my ailment and enjoyed a day of rest.  But then it seemed a bit worse on Tuesday. Coughs were steady and chest felt tight so I worked from 9:30 to 4 pm (which included setting things up for the HSYG Bible Study on Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix) and headed home.  Got da fevah and the bodyaches last evening and woke up this morning with a raspy voice and a bit of pain whenever I talk or swallow. Same steady coughs, same tightness of the chest and did I mention, greenish-yellow phleghm…mmm…always good to hack up.  (seriously, it’s gross but a good thing)

I made an appointment with the doctor, who is conveniently 3 minutes away. The doctor thinks I might have an ear infection judging from the redness he saw when he peered in with that ear doo-hickey although it doesn’t hurt; and then after making me say “Ahh” with the tongue depressor, he said, “Your throat looks nasty.” You’re telling me. It feels like a raw piece of boar meat. I know what you’re thinking, boar?

Since Sunday afternoon I’ve been catching up on LOST, Season 1. A member at the church loaned me Seasons 1 and 2 a couple of months ago. With the 4th Season nearing, it felt daunting to try to catchup in a short amount of time. So I opted for the free 7-minute and 45-minute recaps of Seasons 1-3, availalbe temporarily on iTunes.  I started Season 4 and became hooked and of course intrigued about the nuances of the story and character development I missed previously.  Today, I officially completed the viewing of 24 episodes of Season 1 since Sunday afternoon. And I’ve been pulled even deeper into this rich, mysterious, spritual, redemptive and powerful story. I won’t go into all of it now; it would take more than just this post to cover it all.  I will say, without a doubt, it’s one of the 5 best TV shows of all time. I’m looking forward to watching Season 2 and then possibly using along with the book “TV’s Most Teachable Moments” by the Skit Guys at Youth Specialties, www.youthspecialties.com.

But while spending most of my time watching LOST may sound like fun (espeically to hard core LOST fans) it kind of stinks too. The only reason I’m able to watch all of these episodes is because I’m sick and can’t do much more than watch TV, read a fluff piece from a magazine, play Scrabulous on Facebook and send a few emails, mostly church-related. That may not sound too bad either.

It’s just that if I wasn’t sick, I could be at the second session of the child birthing class Elizabeth and I began last Wednesday and will take every Wednesday evening until April 30.  Doctor told me I shouldn’t go so I don’t get the other pregnant women sick which is wise. Unfortunately there’s nothing to prevent Elizabeth from getting sick since we’re married and breathe the same air. We’ve limited contact (kisses and hugs) so I don’t spread the germs too much. So far she’s not sick and I’d be very happy for it to stay that way.  She’s only got 10 more weeks to go so it should be downhill (so to speak) from here.

The real bummer is that she has to be husband-partner-less in the class.  The teacher Jenny, a really good and humorous RN who knows her stuff, will step in, but still I feel bad missing it.  Nothing I can do, of course. I’ll miss other important things in our lives and in my child’s life because I’m sick. So no point in worrying about it.

I am truly thankful to have Elizabeth in my life and to have a baby girl on the way. Elizabeth has taken good care of me, made me soup, tea and other comfort food that is easy to eat. She even bought me my favorite ice cream, Stephen Colbert’s Americone. Nuttin soothes the throat better. Elizabeth is a wonderful wife and a strong and loving one too, especially when pregnant. If I was carrying that much weight around, I wouldnt’ want to be waiting hand and foot on someone.  But then again, I probably would. I’d just whine a little more (If you haven’t guessed, I’m not the easiest patient to deal with).  That’s what love does. It carries, puts up, empties and re-fills all at the same time.