Next Time, Maybe I'll Get the Shot...

I had a blast at work yesterday, with so many laughs both on and off the air that my abs actually ached--I felt as though I'd been in a bar fight.

At least, I thought it was from the laughter.

Turns out the aches were the precursor to something bubbling within my body--fatigue, sore throat and fever soon followed. I thought a good long nap might shake it, but no--I woke up around eight p.m. still feeling like the south end of a northbound horse, and decided that this would be a day off.

I used to REALLY feel guilty missing work--I was one of those mopes who'd go in no matter what, thinking that I would be inconveniencing someone else by taking a powder. No more. I've gone full circle, thinking that it's best to keep my sick ass away from my colleagues so they don't have to be exposed to whatever crud I'm packin'.

What I SHOULD do next season is get the flu shot--I have no aversion to needles, and, since it seems as though I get this crap at least once every winter, it would only make sense to be prepared.

One good thing about being home today--I got to watch "Good Morning America's" coverage of the return of Bob Woodruff. He, of course, is the former ABC World News Tonight anchor who suffered horrific head injuries while on assignment in Iraq. His personal courage is one thing but what moved me the most were the stories from his wife and kids about how they coped with his recovery, and how he handled what he described as "the guilt" for putting them in such a position. Powerful stuff. Watching what he went through suddenly made my body aches and fever seem like no big deal. And, it left me wondering if I would be that kind of partner if, God forbid, something similar ever happened to my wife.

We see it every day, though--I know of two couples within my circle of friends dealing with such life altering situations. One is a friend of mine who's battling stomach cancer, the other is a neighbor with cancer who's just recently suffered a pretty serious stroke. It's amazing to see the networks of support that form, and how no one allows pity to seep in.

This feels like the end of a Sarah Silverman episode, the part where she says, "Today I learned..." As for me, I learned it's time to get my dumb ass a flu shot, to appreciate my good health when I have it, and to be ready to be the kind of mate you talked about on the altar that day, when the guy reading the vows mentioned something about "for better or worse, in sickness and in health". You never know when you're going to be called on it.