Feeling Sick and Working

Greetings. Well, it turned out that my sickness lasted into yesterday. I had a soar throat and congestion, which is not a pleasant combination for a teacher to have. I decided Sunday evening to stay home yesterday, just to make sure I was over the illness. I’ve been taking various medications and drinking fluids, the usual stuff, for the past several days, and I think that really made a big difference. What also helped was a hint a good friend from Dallas gave me to get rid of the congestion: to stand in a steamy shower for 15-20 minutes, or more, and take deep breaths. I had never heard of that before, but figured, “Why not?” So I tried it and the next day the congestion started loosening up.

By yesterday afternoon, I felt 100 percent better and was able to get up and around my apartment and do some things. It was a good decision to stay home that day.

However, staying home presented me with another set of emotions—how to fill the time away from work. I’m the kind of person that doesn’t get sick very often. Usually, when I do get sick, I’m really sick. Thankfully that wasn’t the case this time around. In other words, I rarely take sick days. So, while I was taking my meds and sleeping off the stuff yesterday, part of me kept wondering if I should be somewhere and doing something besides sleeping. I also worried a lot about how the other teachers were going to cover my classes, in addition to any other absences, of which I know at least one other guy was out due to sickness. I’m usually one of the people that covers other people’s keyboarding class when they get sick or are out for whatever reason. But, at least until now, I’ve never been the one that’s been out and needed people to cover for me.

Yesterday and today were complete opposites in the feelings of the day. Yesterday I was wondering how they would get along at work and what I should do. Today, I was so grateful to be back at work and doing things I enjoy, seeing students and coworkers, and accomplishing things, teaching people, etc. It would be a stretch to say that I know everything about my job at this point. But I was certainly glad to be back in an environment where I could contribute to my job and grow, verses sick at home. That will likely be my only absence from sickness this year, or I hope so anyway. Interesting how yesterday and today were complete opposites though.