Because it really is personal…

Everyone has their own remedies for colds and flu. I know what works for me: gin, and plenty of it. Mind you, I am a responsible consumer of gin. I don’t drink it alone, or when I am the responsible driver. If the kids are in school I don’t drink, because doing so would inevitably result in someone breaking a bone or severing a finger, and I would be unable to drive.

But right now, Sweet Daddio just called and said he’s on his way home, #2 is upstairs with his version of the flu, and #3 is on the couch, yucking it up over “Major Payne” on the TV. Therefore, I have an icy cold glass (a playful cocktail glass, clear with blue spots) of high-quality gin and 3 fat olives, sitting here with me at the computer, improving my mood with every sip.

Music helps. #1 loaned me a copy of “Sky Blue Sky” by Wilco. Nice stuff, gentle in a Pink Floyd meets Steely Dan kind of way. It’s nice to be able to share taste in music with one of my kids. #2 prefers heavy metal, which makes me want to hold out my hands and shout STOP! #3 favors country, which is fine, but I can only tolerate so much love for mah truck. In exchange for Wilco I loaned #1 Pat Metheny and Phillip Glass (not together, that would be odd, wouldn’t it! Music passes the time when you don’t have energy for anything else, even TV.

mm. Gin soaked olives. Yum.

Another favorite remedy of mine is garlicky, peppery, salty chicken soup. It feels so good going down, and it needs to be peppery enough to make you break a sweat when you eat it.. Like really good hot and sour soup without the sour.

I drink lots of citrus juice, grapefruit, orange, lemonade (real lemonade, with lemons). All that vitamin C is good for the immune system, and if your throat is scratchy it kind of burns going down.

One thing I really HATE about being sick, even more than the physical discomfort, is the way it effects my mental state. I become very depressed, feeling horribly inadequate, and hypersensitive to any perceived criticism or injustice. I cry at everything. My mind calls up past infractions and the guilt is overwhelming. I mean, I sort of do this anyway, but when I’m sick it’s like some mental barrier is dropped and I’m vulnerable to every sort of psychological attack. I feel like everyone in the house is tired of me and wishes I would just go away so they can live their lives without some whiny WOMAN getting in the way. No one will say to me today “I am glad you’re here.” Yeah, it’s that bad. I haven’t figured out how to make it stop yet. Gin helps, but that’s just a patch on the symptoms, I think.