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Gray, Gloomy, Cold, Wet Days
It will be no secret to anyone that winter in the Netherlands is often a series of gray, gloomy, cold, wet days. No, unfortunately, we don't have many days anymore when it is freezing to the point of cracking, few to no days with a beautiful magical white blanket of snow. But mainly gray, gloomy, and clammy. Little to no fun to be had and certainly not good for the mood, but also not good for your health. So far this winter there have been many more people, and especially many more children, who developed pneumonia. And now for about a week we can officially speak of a flu epidemic again. But hey, there I was... telling myself that I would avoid the flu dance this year. For me, no stuffy nose, no fever, and certainly no rubber feeling in my legs. Just get through the depressing winter days and as soon as it starts to resemble spring, quickly go outside and get back to doing what I love most without any problem. Unfortunately, the flu turned out to have a slightly different view on this than I do.
Subtle Signs
The signs already started last week, subtle, but increasingly evident. First a stuffy nose on one side. Okay, that's annoying if you want to sleep, but no drama yet. Then the tickle in the throat started, and last night the trouble started. Shivering from the cold, and then feeling like you are in a sauna. And worst of all, legs that feel like they are made of rubber and can no longer support my weight. Headache, and occasionally dizziness from the stuffy nose. The list of symptoms was complete and there is not much other option than to admit today to the fact that I do not appear to be immune to the flu this winter.
Supposed Immunity
The irony was that I was just starting to think that I might escape the misery this winter. Perhaps I had applauded myself a little too much for my supposed immunity in the past month, so now is just nature's time to remind me that I'm not as untouchable as I thought. Sigh!
No Time To Stay In Bed
Now you would think that it would be best to stay in bed all day and watch a Netflix marathon between sleeps while my body rests and recovers. But unfortunately, that's not possible at all! My partner has to go to his job, and of course, I have three dogs. Days like these make me wonder why I didn't choose cats as pets! So my day today consisted of mainly taking it easy, but other than that just carrying on, paracetamol, hot tea, and especially lots of water. The walks with the dogs were shorter than usual, and the time I normally play with them outside has also been drastically shortened... so that we could all get some extra sleep. They don't completely agree, but they keep me faithful company, pressing their wet noses against me and looking at me with a look that seems to say: "It will be okay, we are with you! Are you going to play fetch with us now?"
Surrender To The Flu
At a slower pace than normal, with much less energy than normal... we will get through the days. Fortunately, there is always room for humor, even in the midst of a flu epidemic. My partner told me I was coughing like an asthmatic seal last night and said it was a good thing we don't have neighbors. If so, they might start to think we had a new pet. With the amount of tissues, I could build a nice tower, with a flag on top as a symbol of surrender to the flu. My dogs could perhaps learn a profession, and since there is a chronic shortage of caregivers in the Netherlands, that could perhaps be a great vocation for them. They can start gaining practical experience at home.
Keep Smiling
Since being sick in bed is not an option, I had to come up with something else, and as I lay stretched out on the couch, surrounded by my faithful dogs, I couldn't help but laugh at my situation. The flu has disrupted some plans for this week. Anyway, I'll get over it, luckily I still have my dogs around me and I still have a healthy dose of humor. So in the middle of a pile of tissues, I hug the dogs again and then start laughing. If there's one lesson I learned from this bout of flu, it's "Always keep smiling!", even when you're sick.
