I’ll be better in a few days, but until then, please pass the tissue

There is a wonderful song in the show “Guys and Dolls” sung by the long-suffering, sneezing, coughing, nose blowing, Adelaide, “A Person Could Develop a Cold.” Although Adelaide’s cold is an allergic reaction to her beau’s inability to set a date, like so many others at this time of year, I am just recovering from an unwelcome Christmas gift in the form of a really persistent nasty cough and cold.

I felt so miserable, I finally went to the doctor for an antibiotic, which is now beginning to help suppress some of the nasty symptoms. One does wonder, however, in this day and age of miraculous discoveries and cutting-edge technology, why some genius hasn’t solved two minor but very annoying problems; a cure or vaccine for the common cold and a disc or other device you carry with you containing all your vital information, including all your medications and insurances.

That way, you would no longer need to fill out the same five-page form requiring your health history from the date you had your tonsils removed, in each and every doctor’s office. Is that too much to ask? Did you know that they now have an application for your cellphone that will indicate the optimum time during any current movie in which to take your bathroom break? Honest folks, I’m not making this up.

Despite my intentions for a good beginning for 2013, my house is an eclectic mix of partially-put-away Christmas decorations, half-finished glasses of honey and lemon and scattered boxes of Kleenex along with cough drops and nose spray, sharing space on any and every available surface.

All hopes of getting a headstart on straightening files, paying bills or bringing some order to that long-overdue basement closet, have vanished. I haven’t even summoned up the energy to write Christmas thank you’s yet.

Now that I am living alone, I find I also miss the presence of someone to ask solicitously, “Feeling any better, dear?” or “Can I bring you something?” Unfortunately, my response to the one call which might have elicited sympathy, my daughter’s unsuspecting, upbeat happy New Year from Puerto Rico where she was vacationing, came at a bad moment, and my response was less than jovial.

However, my two cats, Ginger and Chibi-chan are benefiting from my current incapacity. They love the fact that instead of my usual dashing in and out, I have been spending most waking moments ensconced on the couch, covered by a warm and fuzzy lap robe. They take turns jumping up and cuddling in my lap, are good company, and seem to sense that I need extra affection.

Now, if they could only learn to “fetch.” Till next Sunday ... achoo and adieu.

Contact Jean Cherni, certified senior adviser for Senior Living Solutions and Pearce Plus, a helpful, full-service program for seniors contemplating a move, at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds at 101 Hotchkiss Grove, Branford 06405.

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