Sick Days

Certain things lose their meaning as we get older. Unfortunately, things that used to excite us can become lack lustre in comparison to the joy they once brought. For me, the meaning of one particular event falls perfectly under that category… Sick Days.

Only slightly less appealing than a snow day, a sick day held all the promise of a spoiled day spent in my parents’ bed, with my mother acting as my own personal nurse. Propped up among countless fluffy pillows, I’d have the rare opportunity to not only watch TV in bed, but to play whatever gaming system was popular at the time (courtesy of my brother, who would begrudgingly set it up for me before leaving for the day).

A sick day from school didn’t always mean I was sick enough that I couldn’t properly function. I just had to be sick enough to convince my mother that it was unwise to send me out into the world. Once I had received the final verdict that school indeed could wait until tomorrow, I’d immediately begin planning my day. Between the scandalous talk shows and soap operas I wasn’t, “technically” allowed to watch, and the constant check-ins by my mother punctuated with soup, flat ginger ale, and soda crackers, the time would fly by.

These days, sick days mean something else entirely. A sick day now can only be taken when you’re absolutely incapable of doing anything, and, worse yet, they’re limited! Using a sick day to get caught up on ‘Days of Our Lives’ is no longer an option. Sick days are ACTUAL sick days, where I lay in bed, motionless, until the undeniable urge to vomit forces me to race for the bathroom. The sad part is, when you return from a sick day, the pile of work you left from the day before has gotten even bigger, and your inbox is full of messages from people who have been impacted by your absence.

What I wouldn’t give to spend a sick day the way I did when I was 10 years old! Fortunately for me, some things never change. When I’m sick, my mother still brings me soup, and fluffs my pillows. I’m pretty sure she’d even still hold my hair back while I throw up if I asked her to. Now, if only something could be done about that pesky little thing called a career…