"But I’ve been sick” has consistently been an excuse for not getting the job done or the paper written or some other expected chore accomplished. OK, you were sick, but now you’re well ... so? I’ll tell you a thing I’m just learning: When you have joined the “nonagenerian” crowd, getting well is a slower process, and a depressing one at that. You don’t feel up to reading your favorite authors, so you go to that other source of entertainment and information. What do you find? Revolting political commercials, full of lies about the other candidates (of course, I meet them with with the mute button). Or, you can watch that unending panic generator, talking heads reporting on Ebola and interviews with people who sat on a plane with a person who later developed a fever; very over-informative stuff, playing into an already-poisonous political climate.
None of this is remedial at all, except maybe encouraging frequent naps. But what was therapeutic was totally unexpected and didn’t even come from a pharmacy. In fact, I don’t know where it came from.
Some person of the female gender left with the doorman a tall vase full of beautiful flowers, with a hand-printed card saying, “From a Chevy Chaser Fan.” It was not a florist delivery, so I couldn’t call to find out the sender. Obviously, whoever that generous fan was wanted to be anonymous. The flowers will be thrown out tomorrow, after more than a week of careful nurturing, but they provided cheeriness at a time my mood was dreary. Thank you, kind friend! As we know, I respond well to flattery. I always respond to fan letters and such. This column is my way of telling you how much your tribute meant. Keep reading – I hope to keep writing!
It’s encouraging that I went out yesterday and today, somewhat shakily leaning on my cane to prevent falling on my can, and I intend for this to be my last symptom recital and tale of woe.
I’ll be well and this infuriating campaign will be over – even Thanksgiving will be over. I’ll have to find a more enthralling topic to hold forth on, and to do that, I’ll have to stop reading the daily paper and listening to all the TV channels, except KET and its variants, and the SEC – it promises to be a great basketball season, and I’ll be watching! cc