Friday, October 13, 2006
Better Living Through Disease
Man, was that a bad cold. I was seriously delirious there for awhile. All better now though.
It's funny - when I was a kid, I actually enjoyed getting sick once in awhile. I got to hang out, watch some daytime TV, hone my skills at Pong (yes, dagnabbit, all's we had was Pong when I was a kid ... and we were thankful!). My parents let me eat pretty much anything I wanted, 'cause you know you can't argue with the cravings of sick people. Sweet!
My oldest son recently reflected this attitude when he mused that his "favourite" illness was pink eye:
"They won't let you in the door of the school, but otherwise it doesn't slow you down at all."
Sadly, the subtle joy of illness are yet another thing that is robbed from us in adulthood. Society just doesn't let you indulge yourself with a nice long bout of non-threatening illness. There's no pleasure in bailing out on work, parenting and household chores because everything in the adult world conspires to make you feel guilty.
As a kid, your mom actually did want you to stay in bed until you were totally sure that you were better (at least mine did). As an adult, your boss may say out loud "That's OK, you just worry about getting better" but you can practically hear him whisper "you're costing me money, ya slacker".
My departed father used to tell a funny disease story. In his senior year of high school, he had fallen in with the wrong crowd and had pissed away most of the school year shooting pool and playing cards (since they didn't have Pong back then). Two weeks before his final exams, he contracted a horribly contagious ailment which required him to be placed in a good old fashioned quarantine. Alarmingly, his family locked him inside a grain bin for the duration. So, lacking anything else to do, he studied for his exams around the clock and ended up totally aceing them.
I vaguely remember a story about some Hollywood star who was fat as a child but trimmed down after a long and severe bout of stomach flu. Was it Matthew Broderick? Anyone remember?
How's about you, dear reader? Got a favourite ailment? Got a funny disease story?
posted by Mentok @ 11:56 p.m.,
11 Comments:
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At 2:55 a.m.,
Rachel said...
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I am glad you are feeling better. :)
I can relate to enjoying a sick day...But that is just because I am not sick, I could see this attitude changing...You know that 'want what you can't have' mentality.
It gets me everytime.
But sickness? Yes, ummm actually I have never really thought about it until now but you are right I did enjoy sick days when I was a kid way more than adult sick days!
Damn it! -
At 10:11 a.m.,
Bathroom Hippo said...
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Favourite: See Mentok and his crappy ass Canadian spelling.
Favorite: America rules!
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I've got an odd disease story...
I was 19 and in the mission training center in Provo, Utah. I was diagnosed with a rare form of Type 2 diabetes...a rare insulin-resistant form. They misdiagnosed me at first. Anyway... so for a full year I was very health concerned and took vitamins, minerals, and herbs daily and of course my prescription drugs. Well guess what? After a year I was cured. My blood sugar was normalized even after eating huge sugar content. I didn't have the disease anymore. I tested my body for months and I swear it was gone!
Anyway...so like a year later and after not taking vitamins, minerals, or herbs, and after some unhealthy eating habbits the disease returned. LOL. So now I'm fighting it again. -
At 12:13 p.m.,
Library Mama said...
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This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
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At 12:17 p.m.,
Mentok said...
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Rachel - Damn it, indeed. "The Man" keeps draining all the fun out of life, eh? And thanks for the kind wishes.
Hippo - "favourite" isn't Canadian English, it's world-wide English. Only Americans of all the English speaking people spell it the other way. But we all have our quirks...Canucks have "cheque" and "centre" and other frenglish oddities.
That's terrible about the diabetes. I'm glad at least you can still LOL about it. Good luck, buddy. -
At 3:28 p.m.,
Rachel said...
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American English makes no sense at all.
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At 10:03 p.m.,
Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk said...
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Hi Mentok,
I don't have any funny disease story so I'll just say hello & of course glad you're feeling better.
I liked being sick when I was little because that meant I could skip school and sneak in a bonus holiday.
But now, I have such an extroverted personality that even a simple cold is dramatic enough to make me feel like the sky is about to fall.
cheers -
At 12:28 a.m.,
Mentok said...
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Rachel - actually, I think American English is an apt term for foot-on-both-shores fellows like our dear meester FiL.
Susan - hey cool new avatar. I feel more relaxed just looking at it.
...But now you've gone and broken the previously discussed Mentok's Rule of Opposites. By saying flat-out that you are extroverted, I must now assume that you are in fact introverted...not that there's anything wrong with that. ;-)
No, really, of course you were right before. I have no real way of telling esp over the internet whether you or anyone else is one way or the other. -
At 10:21 a.m.,
said...
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i used to fantasize about breaking my leg or getting injured in some fashion so that i could use crutches or be in the hospital and everyone would feel really bad for me. then when i was in college i sprained my ankle such that i had to use crutches, and they really sucked! i don't have that fantasy anymore. now i think a long stay in a sanitorium might better do the trick. ;-)
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At 10:33 a.m.,
Mentok said...
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mjrc - well, I actually did break my leg as a 'tween ager (skiing, how cool is that? Oh, did I leave out the bunny-hill part?) and I had a great time with it.
Yes, the crutches sucked, but there's something pheremonic about those casts that brings out the mother instinct in girls and compells them to write cutesy sayings on it, complete with hearts and smileys.
I remember once three of the hottest girls in school were working on my cast at once. They were completely consumed by the ecstatic pleasure of writing flowery get-well messages. I tell you, the cast wasn't the only thing hard that day ...waah!
Now, you bring up a further interesting point with the word "sanitoriums". Do they still have those anymore? It always seemed cool in old movies and books when someone went to one to recover from "mental exhaustion". Boy, we could sure use those these days. Which of us isn't mentally exhausted nowadays? -
At 10:04 p.m.,
Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk said...
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Hi again Mentok,
I am VERY extroverted!:}
So next post please. ha-ha
P.S. Thanks for liking the avatar. -
At 1:31 p.m.,
said...
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i think these days rehab is the new sanitorium, only i don't have a drug or alcohol problem to use to get me in one. i suppose i could cultivate one, but that might be more trouble than it's worth!
