Why can't I just enjoy this sinus infection, like everyone else?!?!
by Juliana

I hate to be a pessimist, but sometimes I want to just sit down on the floor, pout my lips, shake my fists into the air and scream, “Life isn’t fair!!!” That’s how I feel today. I’m sick, and it’s nothing like what I was hoping for.

I suppose it makes sense that most people don’t want to be sick at all, but lately I’ve been looking forward to it. This is natural since I feel overworked and underappreciated by my two-year-old. There are days when I’ve cleaned the kitchen, done three loads of laundry, and tidied up most of the house and it feels like I haven’t made any progress whatsoever. On days like that, I feel like laying down and just giving up.

I was thinking about this a while ago, and a very guilty thought passed through my mind. “If you were sick, you could lie around all day and everyone else would have to wait on YOU…” The thought brought me solace amid my hectic day-to-day life for several months. If I was having an especially difficult day, I could think, “This can’t go on forever. I’m bound to get sick sooner or later. A cold, the flu, maybe even a broken bone! Then I’ll just lie in bed sipping lemonade and reading a good book, while everybody brings me flowers and feels sorry for me.” Ahhhh what a joyous experience I had planned out.

Then it happened.

For months now, I’ve been stuffed up with allergy problems, but I’ve learned to deal with them in a fairly mature way. Yesterday, however, the mild allergies turned into a full-blown illness. A headache, sore muscles, sore throat, fatigue; it’s all there. It feels like a sinus infection with a vengeance. I tried making the most of it, but it kept getting worse and worse. Finally, today after church, I gave in.

“Honey, why don’t you go take Joseph to your parent’s house without me. I’ll just go home and rest,” I said, after finishing Sunday dinner at my mom’s house.

“Okay,” Josh replied. “Do you want me to leave you here and pick you up later?” Now this was a temptation. Mom’s house on Sunday afternoons means three important things: good food, games, and time with my family. It is an all-around “good times were had by all.” I glanced at the strawberry shortcake on the counter, and my brother pled, “Come on, stay! Then we can play a game!”

My throat was aching and my head was splitting with a headache. Painfully, I shook my head and said reluctantly, “No. I think I better just go home and rest.”

On the way home, I said to Josh, “This isn’t fair. I’ve been looking forward to getting sick so I could lie in bed and relax for a while. But now I feel too sick to enjoy it at all. I don’t want to watch TV because it’ll make my headache worse. And if I lie in bed, I’ll fall asleep and then be awake all night because of it. Even a nice, warm bath won’t make these aches and pains go away. I’M TOO SICK TO ENJOY BEING SICK!!!”

I don’t think I got much sympathy from him. That leaves one last resort. Will you pity me?