I’m experiencing two firsts today, both probably totally unremarkable to 95% of you.

1. I’m having a sick day. What this means is, I am supposed to be at my place of paid employment, but woke up feeling lousy, and took a sick day. It has been a while since my health needed to be reported in any official capacity related to employment. I emailed my boss. She wrote back, “Feel better!” So unlike my two former bosses, who would have maybe paused for a second before asking for more cookies, more tv time, or (most exhaustingly) more of me. The laundry also doesn’t take emails when you’re sick, but I quite presciently did it all yesterday, when I was teetering on the precipice of unwell.

2. I am having a run-of-the-mill sick day. It’s not related to cancer or to a full-body immune response, it does not require steroids or any sort of intravenous infusion, and – best of all – does not involve any kind of intestinal distress. I did go to the doctor today, to get tested for strep (negative), and found, as usual, that Dr P’s office has kept my primary doctor in the dark about my condition, (even though I had asked them to send updates – guess they are too busy saving lives to send faxes?). So, I had to unfold last fall’s tale of woe in person, and watch as the doctor turned it into computer shorthand.

And then: I came home. No stop at the pharmacy required. I made a pot of Throat Coat tea, the taste of which sickened me when I first tried it, but which now has a place in my heart, because it really seems to work. I started a pot of chicken soup while I drank the tea. And I even had time to place a phone call to the makers of the graham crackers we had in the house (a box bought, I think, during my former crisis), which tasted rancid this morning. The person on the phone took this very seriously, and is FedEx-ing me two fresh boxes.

I’ve napped a bit, but not as much as I thought I would. Turns out I have lost the ability to sleep all day. I wonder if I’ll ever get that back.

For now, I’m staying in bed, watching a movie which is so bad as to be unmentionable, and listening to the kids through the door, with their lovely after school sitter. And once again, despite the (minor) misfortune of being sick, I feel lucky and grateful. A real sick day, just for me!