This last week of “newsing” has really caught up to me. Literally.
I came down with a nasty cold, which set in Saturday evening.
When I catch a cold, it typically starts in the evening. I feel like I have something in the back of my throat and it starts to get worse. But I come prepared.
I’m relatively prone to getting colds. I don’t know if they’re more frequent than others, but they sure feel like they are. None-the-less, I have a plan:
1. I sleep a lot.
I think it goes without saying that rest is important when you’re sick.
2. I take a lot of vitamins.
The first thing my dad tells me every time I am sick is, “Did you take vitamin C?” It never fails. Yes Dad, I do take my vitamins.
3. Canada Dry.
This is one of my two go-to beverages for my ailing sore throat. I gave up soda a few years ago, but this still helps when I am feeling under the weather.
4. Tea (mixed with honey)
Normally, I drink lemon and ginger tea, but I ran out this time and settled for green tea. The key here is the honey, which has something in it that coats your throat. I think it’s called “antibacterial,” or “probiotic.” I’ve even taken to just mixing hot water with honey. It helps.
5. I work from home.
It’s very hard to work when you’re sick. Regardless of my health, the newspaper needs to go to print, so I hunker down, try to get people to be in the office in my place and work from home.
6. Oh, and I shower a lot.
The steam from a hot shower helps a lot. My friend told me, “When in doubt, sweat it out.”
So what of my “newsing” caused my sickness this week?
Monday: Waldorf public meeting regarding public housing. The city of Waldorf, namely the mayor, is trying to build and grow the town. And, well, the residents of Waldorf would prefer it not be in the way of a 32-unit apartment building.
Tuesday: I cover multiple city councils, including Waseca. On this particular evening, their regular meeting was accompanied by a presentation from a real estate investing group that wants to invest, well, millions of dollars in Waseca. It was quite neat.
Thursday: Sports, sports, and sports.
Friday: More sports.
Saturday: Ice fishing.
Saturday morning, afternoon, and early evening were great. The ice fishing contest was splendid and Lee Mendenhall insisted I join the sportsmen afterwards for chili. I’m grateful when I get to enjoy a little bit of an event without having to work. This was an example of one such time.
I think I occupied the space of more than a thousand different people, maybe 2,000 different people this week. Half of Waldorf on Monday, about 40 people on Tuesday at the council meeting; another few hundred between three sporting events Thursday and Friday. And finally, hundreds of fishermen and fisherwomen on Saturday. Thank you, guys, it was fantastic! Even though somewhere along the line I managed to get sick again.
I kind of had a feeling coming into the week that one of two outcomes would happen from this week. 1. I would be exhausted or 2. I would get sick.
Well, being sick made me exhausted, but I am an extrovert, so I do get energy from people. The crash can be a little fast and hard, but this time I was sick.
Another week, another adventure/s done in “newsing.”
“Because in the end, you won’t remember the times you spent in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that darn mountain.” – Jack Kerouac