For those of you that know me, you know I get sick, like, all the time. I don’t know what I did to my immune system in a past life, but it pretty much hates me. Usually I get by just fine when illness rears its head, but this week I got the flu.
The flu, in a word, sucks. I haven’t had the true knocks-you-on-your-ass flu since I was probably about six years old. I’ve had bad colds, stomach flus, sinus infections, things that come close to the flu. But the true Mother Flu–it’s been a while. And I forgot how absolutely pitiful it makes you.
Doing anything other than lying in bed and making kind of sad whale noises sounded too exhausting to manage. But, as I was reminded, my life is filled with beautiful people who are willing to help a pathetic flu-ridden girl like myself.
My darling boyfriend was prepared to drop everything to come over and help take care of me. “Just say when and what you need!” he texted when I asked if he’d be willing to run some errands for me. No hesitation, no questions asked. He’s always been game for helping out when I’m under the weather (he’s pretty much an old pro at it). He trekked up to West Campus to get my flu medicine, fought with the pharmacist about insurance, came back down to South Campus, went grocery shopping, and brought me three teeming bags of groceries. He even bought my favorite kind of popsicles without being asked.
This all seems pretty simple and “well duh of course he’d do all that he’s your boyfriend and he likes you,” but it still meant the world to me. When you’re sick, or at least when I’m sick because I’m kind of a baby, everything seems daunting and overwhelming. Knowing that I had someone willing to get everything I needed so I could stay comfy in bed was a relief. Also, the fact that he knew my favorite popsicles, even though I can’t ever remember having a conversation in which we discussed popsicle preference, made it all the more heartwarming.
My mom was also ready to drop everything and come get me when I called her at 9:07 on a Friday night to tell her I thought I had the flu. She was prepared to drive into Boston, get me, drive me back into Boston the next morning to go to the doctors, drive me back home, then drive me back to Boston when I was feeling better. My mom is one of the hardest working people I know, and rarely has time off for herself. But she was totally ready to drop plans with her sister and take care of me, her 20 year old should be able to take care of herself daughter, without being asked.
I know that’s a mom’s job, and moms never see their jobs as being done. But still…it makes everything feel a little bit better knowing that no matter what, your mom is there for you. College is a time of independence and figuring out this whole on your own thing. It’s liberating, but it can also be lonely. Being reminded that family is still family and always there to come home to when you need it makes this whole 20 something living a lot easier (especially when you’re whiny and sick).
And then my friends. So many people reached out to check in, ask if I needed anything, followed up every day to see how I was doing. As a transfer student here at BU, I sometimes still feel a weird limbo with friends. I have my friends from my first school, Emerson, but I don’t see them that often and sometimes think maybe I’m more on the fringe of those groups now. I have new friends at BU, but they sometimes feel fragile and still developing, even though I’m a junior and most people have rock solid secure friends. While I’m sure those statements shed light more on my social insecurities than anything else, to be reminded of the love my friends have for me even if we’re not at the same school or just met this year, warmed my heart.
So really, this is just a thank you to everyone who was so nice to me this week when I had the flu. Being cooped up in my apartment by myself hasn’t been fun and has been pretty lonely. But knowing so many people are out there willing and ready to help and take care of me and send me love made the recovery process all the more speedy.
In sickness and in health, I love you all.
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