Julie and Julia - Good Medicine!

On Sunday my throat began hurting, and by that evening I knew I was getting sick. I finally gave up and went to bed around 5:30 p.m. after texting my boss, Betsy, to let her know there was a good chance I wouldn’t be in on Monday morning. Monday should have been my first day back following Christmas break, which started December 22.

When morning came, I couldn’t even pull myself out of bed. The sore throat had just been the precursor to a full-fledged cold or, more likely, flu (known, generically, as "the crud"). I couldn't even make it into the family room to lie on the couch. I was no better on Tuesday, but did force myself out of bed and to the couch for awhile.

There, on the couch, I turned on the TV and began watching the movie Julie and Julia. Wrapped in my fuzzy “blanky”, with my head wrapped in an even fuzzier cold-medicine fog, I watched and laughed and cried with the two main characters. I totally recommend this movie as a terrific cold/flu remedy, since for the couple hours it ran, I almost forgot my own miserable condition.

I returned to work yesterday. My head is still congested and I’m still coughing, but there’s no more sore throat or fever. I feel much better, and I don’t think I’m contagious anymore. Just to be safe, though, I'm practically bathing in hand-sanitizer every five minutes and keeping my head in my own little corner of the office. I'd hate to pass it along to anyone else.

There's a good side to everything. Had I not been grounded by "the crud", Julie and Julia would probably still be just a title - one among many - on my "To See" list. If you haven't seen it, don't wait until you're sick.