No one plans to be sick.
I definitely didn’t have it in my Outlook calendar this week when a sudden fever took me down.
I tested positive for some current variant of COVID that is going around. Yep, COVID is still here and it got me a second time.
I have just now been able to sit upright for extended periods of time and thankful that my fever is gone. I’m just left with the coughing and congestion now while quarantined in a separate bedroom.
I hate being sick. I confess that I am not a good patient. Too often I try to rush the process. I feel bad that my absence due to sickness has caused my co-workers to be shorthanded this week.
I have rarely used any sick days during my career. When I left Government employment a few years ago, I actually had a huge amount of unused sick leave which I had accrued.
Many times I have just pushed through whatever was ailing me. I have worked sick and various pains many, many times.
The average American worker takes an average of 2-3 sick days per year with about 26% surveyed which said they didn’t take any sick days. I don’t know about this unless they are super beings. Those who work from home take less sick days because they feel like they can work sick from home.
Well, I couldn’t have worked sick this past week. I was completely down for the count.
One thing that is important is that we value our health and take care of ourselves. When we take time to take care of ourselves - especially when we are sick - we can get back to being fully functional for the people who count on us. I mean, the nature of my job requires a lot of focus and detail so I need to be as fully functional as I can be to do it.
It’s like I wouldn’t want to go to my dentist appointment if my dentist wasn’t feeling well or just not 100% at that moment when you need a dental procedure done. You don’t want your doctor to have a “my bad” situation during your procedure if they aren’t feeling well.
It’s nice to have employers who understand when you are not feeling well and need to take sick leave to recover. I think I have had one in my entire career who took an attitude with me when I called in sick. Fortunately, those who know my work ethic and know me understand that if I’m out sick then I am really too sick to function.
As I climb out of this recent illness, I am thankful that I have had good health over the years. If there’s one thing that sickness shows us is that there is more to us than our work. We have to take care of ourselves. Work will go on with us or without us.
