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I feel like I’ve been through the wars.
After a series of recent injuries - a) a sprained toe from playing hopscotch on the pavement in high heels (alcohol may or may not have been involved), b) a grazed knee from falling down on pavement after spraining said toe, and c) a seized up levator scapulae muscle (it’s a neck muscle) I got after an overly enthusiastic session at the gym (to make up for my late night hopscotch shenanigans) – I currently feel about 700 years old.
When I finally got to work, (it took me about 15 minutes just to roll onto my side this morning, so you can’t even begin to imagine what showering was like) my colleague Carmen offered to wheel me out into the sunshine with a blanket over my knees. It sounded so appealing that it took me a few moments before I realised she was cruelly teasing me.
You see, apparently my sick personality is Little Old Lady. I was quite offended by this, since I’ve always imagined I bear illness and hurt with a sort of courageous stoicis, but I am deferring to the Women24 team’s so-called objectivity here. *Sniff*
Anyway, it got us talking – this whole ‘man flu’ thing happens to women too. Everyone has a sick personality. It’s just that a lot of women can’t really act out their personalities because there is rarely someone available to nurture them.
Carmen, for example, turns into a complete horror when she’s sick. I’m not overly fond of calling women the B-word, but seriously, she’s an absolute witch with a capital B.
Tammy on the other hand becomes creepy (am NOT, says Tammy) and apologetic with that whole jammer ek lewe vibe (ok, this is true, says Tammy) which is enough to drive a person to tears.
Marisa just panics. I swear, at the first sign of a sniffle she starts stressing about not being able to attend a friend’s soiree that is only taking place in a month’s time, and worrying about missing this launch or that deadline. It’s exhausting.
So maybe we shouldn’t tease the men too much when they turn into needy toddlers on the brink of death in the face of the common cold.
We all deal with discomfort and pain differently, and maybe our bodies sometimes need a bit of added drama to heal holistically. What do you think?
Now please excuse me while I guilt someone into making me a hot cup of tea.
