According to the last numbers in 2012 there are approximately 313,914,040 people living in the United States. The CDC claims that of those folks between 5% and 20% get the flu each year and of that huge number about 62,782,808 get sick.
Usually in that 62,782,808 you can find me. I’m one of the 5% to 20%. So every year I’m going to catch a form of a cold or allergy problem and you’ll find me buying cold medicine, pulling out the Neti Pot, and rubbing in the Vapor Rub.
There will be plenty of chicken soup and hot teas, big comforters and fluffy pillows. Warm socks and flannel pajamas, a box of the new Kleenex with lotion in them so my nose doesn’t get red and dry with some old movies playing on my TV.
I’m ready to take on the season. There is not a cold big enough to bring me completely down. It may dummy me up a bit but no major damage to be done. But even with all that together, even when I think I have under control there is something missing.
Even if a friend is there to sit with me or I’m dating someone that wants to play doctor, the soup doesn’t taste the same. The pillow isn’t fluffy enough and the Vapor Rub isn’t rubbed in the right direction. Where is the handbook to being a good caretaker?
Okay, I looked on Amazon and apparently there are books that show you how to be a good caregiver. For just about anything that’s wrong for you there is a good book to read, someone is suggesting, or you can just Google.
But I have to admit that at the end of the day, when you are sniffling and coughing, when your head hurts and you feel warm, when there aren’t enough pillows to prop you up, that’s when Mommy is there to make everything right.
I’m secure enough to tell you that at 42 years old I still need Mommy to take care of me. She can get to your back and rub that rub like a pro. Heating up the towels and placing one on my chest and back, making sure that I’m snug.
Unfortunately my Mommy lives in Texas and is older and is living with dementia and can’t take care of me that way anymore. So I’ve learned to do with out or at least the next best thing when I’m sick… I can’t reach my own back.
Someday I’ll have a partner and maybe I can show him all the things that my Mommy would do for me to make me feel better. Maybe some of them weren’t doctor approved or really made a difference in getting rid of my cold.
I’m sure animal crackers and hot cocoa don’t require a prescription but when Doctor Mom brings to your bed side you take it and then you smile. Because your smile makes Mommy smile and the world feels a whole lot better.
If your Mommy is still around and wants to care for you when you are sick, let her. There will come the day when she won’t be around to care for you in the only way a Mommy can and if you are like me you’ll miss her.
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