i find that these days when i start to feel a little under the weather, instead of slowing down and taking it easy i go into overdrive. am i getting sick? how long will i be out of commission? is the laundry caught up? how many days worth of frozen meals are in the freezer right now? do we have a fresh gallon of milk? should i run to the store on my way home just in case?
***
all this talk about the flu has me doing a lot of thinking. i got my flu shot this year, but i get it every year. i've never talked about it this much. and i've never been afraid of having the flu before. it was just something i wanted to avoid because it would suck.
and i'm not just talking swine flu, i'm talking about ANY flu. i'm officially over it. if we get it, we get it. if we don't, we don't.
and would getting "it" be so bad, anyway? swine flu is here to stay. i expect to be getting H1N1 vaccinations along with my "seasonal" flu vaccine for years to come. if you think about why swine flu is so "scary," it's because we've never been exposed to it before and have no prior immunity. and the best way to build up immunity is - you guessed it - being exposed. natural immunity from having actually gone through the sickness provides better protection against future occurences than any vaccine can. that's straight out of my pediatrician's mouth, and it's one point that he and i agree on.
the swine flu that is going around oklahoma right now is relatively mild. yes, people are dying. yes, it's scary. but the strain that goes around next year might be twice as vicious, so i'm not going to freak out if someone in my immediate family comes down with this year's strain. they'll only be better off when the next round hits, and i'm not counting on any pharmaceutical company to come up with a magic shot for every conceivable strain of swine flu that develops over the next 100 years. might as well start building up that immunity right off the bat.
i mean, don't get me wrong. we'll vaccinate. we'll get those H1N1 shots. we'll do what They tell us that we are Supposed To Do. but i am not going to worry any more about what happens if it doesn't work, because it's not going to do a bit of good.
in the mean time, we wash hands. stick a packet of purell wipes in autumn's lunch box for her to use before she eats her sandwich. teach the girls proper sneezing (into the crook of your arm) habits and ensure that their noses are wiped and their milk glasses aren't shared and their tissues aren't left on the coffee table. in essense, the exact same things i was taught in elementary school.
***
these days, i kiss aislinn's warm, soft little cheek and wonder if i'm communicating some awful sickness to her. and then i think about the survival of the fittest. it can't be a coincidence that humans instictually kiss, touch, and cuddle those who they love most. i have my own little personal theory that we do this as an evolved habit, to share germs and bacteria and viruses (both good and bad) with those who we want to protect so that their (and our) immune systems are exposed to -- and build resistance to -- a plethora of organisms.
otherwise, when i get sick, wouldn't my first instict be to run and kiss my opposing counsel on the cheek?
***
times are scary. avian flu, swine flu, who knows what's next. monkey flu. ebola. it's a small planet and one little cough by mother nature can wipe us all out like so many brontosauri. i refuse to buy into the hype because it is a completely useless expenditure of my emotional energy. instead, i will feed my children oranges instead of orange flavored things, kiss them goodnight, and enjoy the time we have together.
