A Lesson on Fighting Colds

On Saturday, Michael started complaining of a tickle in his throat. On Sunday, he said his throat still hurt, so he spent the whole day on the couch, skipping church. On Monday, he said he still didn't feel great, so he wanted to drive to work instead of walk and pick up some orange juice.

At this point, he still had no visible signs of being sick, and I was getting pretty annoyed. My reaction to being sick and Michael's are complete opposites, and this difference has annoyed me for the past seven years of our marriage.

Our reactions to being sick are partially caused by the differences in our jobs. Michael can call in sick to work if he wants. He also has a non-Sunday church calling, so he can stay home from church if he wants. I do not have the option of calling in sick. If I don't take care of my kids, there's no one else to do it. If I don't make dinner, how will we eat? If I don't keep the house clean, I'll just have to make it up later, and that means more work for me.

But the main difference is between our personalities. I'm a naturally busy person. I have trouble relaxing. I like to keep my hands busy. I frequently read and watch TV at the same time, because I never feel like there's enough time in the day. Michael is very laid back. One might even say lazy. His favorite thing to do is lay on the couch and watch TV. He also loves to sleep. I hate sleep. It's a waste of time.

So it has always annoyed me that Michael acts like he's dying if he gets the tiniest sniffle. I always think, "Suck it up and deal with it."

But today I started considering this...By Tuesday morning, Michael was fine, and the tickle in his throat had never developed into a full blown cold.

On Tuesday, I felt a tickle in my throat. On Wednesday, I had a sniffle. Yesterday I was miserable. Today I'm slightly better, but my nose is red and I'm exhausted.

So who has the better method for dealing with being sick?