Privilege Blog

The Indignity Of Germs, Or, Saturday Morning At 8:31am

I have a cold.

Not bad. Just the standard assortment of sore throat, mildly burning eyes, and sneezes. Still, it’s kind of funny how even a trivial bug can dominate one’s consciousness.

Here we are, we people. All those inventions. We break our own hearts with books like this, award ourselves prizes for genius, and carve rocks into mothers. But, we’ve got noses.

Ah well, everything’s more clearly seen in bas-relief, and health is all the better for an occasional hiccup. Here’s to getting better, and the invention of fleece sweatshirts that zip all the way up. As it happens, I’ve lemons on the counter, honey in the cupboard, and, despite my mother’s New England High WASP suspicion of feel-better medicine, aspirin in the bathroom. All will be well.

Have a wonderful weekend everybody.

32 Responses

  1. Your mother and my husband have something in common–suspicion of those “feel good” medications. Not me. I took my Aleve as soon as I woke up this morning!

    Feel better soon!

  2. Feel better soon!!!!! Lemons will definitely help alkalize that over-taxed Thanksgiving digestive system!!!!! And REST!!!!! :-)

  3. I too have a cold. I add a dash of cayenne pepper to the hot water/lemon/honey combo – helps clear your sinuses. Feel better soon.

  4. Oh do brew up some honey and lemon in boiling water…
    sip all day long, keep warm and get well soon.

    I have often wondered why the minds that be have not invented a cure to the nasty cold.

    Our public health nurse advised all our staff at school to use plain saline nasal spray every morning before coming to work and to wash our hands 24/7 which we do but we still catch one or two colds a year.

    Take care Lisa,

    Hostess
    XO

  5. If you also have fresh ginger, a grating or two into the hot honey and lemon will help enormously.

  6. I am going to be the third person to recommend Emergen-C. I keep it around for colds.
    Of course honey and lemon are proven to help as well so I think you are on the right track.
    I hope you have lots of rest and that you find a good movie to cozy up in front of.
    Get well soon.

  7. A simple cold can be so disturbing.
    Now, that you are once again more in contact with people, your bound to get colds ( ;
    Hopefully you feel better by now. Hopefully you also have someone to hold your hand ; )

  8. And all will be well, and all manner of thing will be well, but it’s no harm to have lemons to hurry it along now that one is an executive. I hope you will be better soon.

  9. I figure, like natural childbirth, toughing it out through a cold is not really necessary. I like Neo-Citran with a good slug of rum in it, but can see the sense of aspirin, tea and chicken soup. As my Brooklyn-born friend always says ,”Feel bettah”.

  10. The Pieta is a work of art, but honey, lemon, and hot tea (or water) is truly a thing of beauty when you’re sick. :) I hope you feel better soon!

  11. Feel better soon. I find the best remedy for a cold is a lot of complaining to sympathetic people. Sometimes they will even bring you homemade chicken (turkey right now, I suppose) soup.

  12. Vick’s vapor rub on chest with old itchy wool scarf around neck. Digestive system in order. Morning and evening “sponge baths” (using hottest tap water and wash cloth to gently rub skin starting with face,ears,hands,arms,all rest of body covering every square inch with wrung out hot water cloth). Lastly put feet in hot water in sink washing toes,between toes.
    Then scrub out sink (if you use white wash cloth to clean out sink you will be amazed at what skin was clogged with. Skin is like 3rd kidney and keeping it open allows release of lots of toxins, pressure,gunk. My 92 year mother practiced this all her life and did it for us when we were little kids sick in bed.
    Feel better soon.

  13. I’ve always wondered how we can come up with cures for serious diseases but nothing for the common cold. It’s terrible! I hope you are feeling better in no time!

  14. Because I feel so in tune with you i have spent today, Sunday, doing nothing but a bit of laundry, lying about reading and napping. oh and snacking on leftover pie.

    Hoping this makes you feel a bit better.

    xo Jane

  15. I hope you’re on the mend soon! And hey, I’ve searched all over your blog but I can’t seem to figure out how to email you so that we can meet up downtown. I’m at audi[at]coastside[dot]net — drop me a line and we can make a plan!

  16. I hope you’re beginning to feel better. Paul is currently at the heavy cough stage of a cold he picked up from our granddaughter, one I am determined not to get. Do take care of yourself — there’s always a tendency to jump back into the groove before the cold’s really over even though we know an extra day of taking it easy kicks cold butt much more efficiently.

  17. Lisa, I hope you are feeling better by now. Honey and lemon in boiling water sounds like a great idea anytime, but especially when you’ve got a cold. Take good care of yourself this week.

  18. I had something supportive and clever to write, but then I saw the “If you find this form is broken, my apologies. Please email me and I will rage against the machine” written at the top of the comment form, and was so delighted by the unexpected humor of that, I forgot what it was I was going to say. I think I may email you just to see what raging against the machine looks like when not done by an angry musician. :D

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