When You Really Are Sick On Ferris Bueller Day
My soul wanted to twist and shout, but my body had other plans
I had planned to take a pleasant pause this week.
To paraphrase the famous quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, life was moving pretty fast, and I wasn’t taking enough time to stop and look around.
For many weeks, the dates June 5th to the 8th, 2024 were set in stone in a very different way than any of my other calendar entries. Unlike work or family commitments, these days were marked off as official days for playing hooky. In the days leading up to a miasma of commitments for Bar Convent Brooklyn (BCB) next week, I was to be completely schedule free, off the books, loosy-goosey, nonchalant, untroubled, no “see you at 7?’ “Ach! I got tied up, I’ll be there soon!”
“No worries” would really be meant as exactly that. Mental wellness. Staying sane. Self care. Stepping off that proverbial hamster wheel.
The one thing I had planned before stepping away for a couple of days was publishing a newsletter about last week’s trip to Bitter Monk in Industry City. I’ll get to that post when I can.
Back to this week, on Sunday, I started feeling much more low energy than normal, but I pushed through, did my chores and set up the half week of work I needed to accomplish.
Monday I burned through more of the same. I felt a bit sniffly. That has to be allergies, right? Hmmm, my legs feel like I’m contorting into yoga positions when I’m sitting perfectly still. I worked out too much lately, right, too many lunges? Why are the nerves in my neck tingling? Why am I sweating so damn much? Wait, why did I come into this room again?
Me: “Oh no. Please no. Not now.”
The Universe: “What better time to give this to you than when you don’t have to be anywhere?”
Me: “But I was going to do something nice for a change. I need nice!”
The Universe: “It is clearly not your time to have nice things.”
Also the Universe: “It’s getting pretty tough to come up with new illnesses.”
I’ll be OK, but I need to take a wee break. It’s hard to write other than whatever babble this missive has turned out to be. One of the most frustrating symptoms I’m experiencing is that reading and writing is making me feel dizzy.
By the way, I’m really glad I tested because I could have made the friend who was supposed to visit really sick. I am also really glad I am up to date with vaccinations because I could have been sicker. Much sicker.
Luckily I can still smell and taste things as normal. I ate a grapefruit for the first time in a while yesterday, and it was perfectly minty and somewhat meaty tasting. I kid. It was refreshing and tangy, and the peel smelled peel-y.
I can only hope I’m better before the end of the week. For now, I have to step away.
Today I learned that June 5th was the date Ferris Bueller decided to take off and call in sick for his epic hooky day in Chicago. Except he wasn’t sick.
Lucky guy.
Well, I’ll be back. To quote Principal Ed Rooney, “ I did not achieve this position in life by having some snot-nosed punk leave my cheese out in the wind.” Whatever that means.
Sometimes the Universe has other plans, and as the Wise Colleen says, “You never know what protection looks like.”
Get well soon, and holler if you need chicken soup or more grapefruit!
I hope you are full strength by next week!