In Sickness and Health.

I've been "absent" for a bit. I've been sick. Some kind of stomach virus. The kind of thing that makes one stay home from work. I am well aware that we all can be replaced, but sometimes it takes more energy to explain, and go through the tasks with someone, than it is to just suck it up and do the job yourself. Even sick. (I was too sick not to go to work.) Yes, I went to work. Somehow, I got through the worst of it. I don't remember much of Saturday. I know I called for help, got someone to drive me to and from my rehearsal and evening show. I know I called the show. I know nothing untoward happened. At home, I kept my doors and windows shut. I collapsed onto the bed at every opportunity. I slept. That was about it. I didn't really eat for 2 or 3 days. Wasn't sure I ever wanted to eat again. But now, days and days later, I am recovering. I am eating a banana. I have had soup for the last 4 nights. I tried a piece of toast and it was the best thing I'd ever eaten. I can keep down Perrier. (Dad said, "Of course, you need the most expensive water...") The easiest thing was to give up drinking. Aversion therapy. It works.

A couple of years ago, I was walking to work, past the zoo. I was stung by a wasp. She had to be a wasp because she stung me several times. Oh. My. God. That was painful! A little later, that same evening, I received a package from a friend. He had surprised me with a hard bound copy of a book I'd been reading. He'd been working with the author and had had the author sign it to me personally. I was holding an ice pack on my arm, thrilled to get the book. Mixed signals for the day. For several weeks, I avoided the path past the wasp. I examined my reaction and realized this was what nature intended. The wasp was protecting her nest. If I'd been a bear, I'd have avoided the path. When I finally started using the path again, I was cautious and alert. In two years, I've had no further contact with the wasp or her family. Yet, every time I walk past the point of the wasp encounter, I remember the pain. I also remember the book. Pain and joy, mixing together to form one memory.

No joy in a stomach virus. Quite the contrary. But, I have learned one can work through almost anything, whether one should or not. I've also learned that I need to prepare my replacement better. Ahead of time. I need to anticipate every eventuality. Even my own absence. This is the thought behind life insurance after all. This is not a new concept.

Hmm, maybe I should get some life insurance. (Shouldn't it be called "Death" insurance?)