Fall's Challenge

Every autumn brings on cooler mornings and the thoughts of sweaters and using the heater in the car as you commute to work.

It also brings on thoughts of carving pumpkins, making witch curtains for the porch, and costumes, but I wasn't going to talk about that stuff today...

Where was I?

Oh, yeah.  With all those thoughts of a new and exciting season (seriously guys, only 21 days until Halloween) there's one challenge that comes full force into my mind.

This year will be the year that I don't catch anyone's cold.



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I will not get sick this year!

I seem to be good at avoiding the strep throat that will inevitably make it's way through The Circus.  And The Man for that matter (poor guy). 

I seem to be good at avoiding the flu.  I can't remember the last time I was sick with chills and throwing up...

Knock on wood.

In fact, when the announcement came around for free flu shots at my work, and when everyone piled into cars to go get it, I politely declined the invitation to go.

But why?  It's free.  You won't get sick.

Except that I heard that if you get the flu shot once, you have to keep getting it because your body depends on it.  I kind of like that my body seems to fight it off on it's own and I don't want to ruin that.  Plus, I hear you can also get sick from the shot itself which just seems to contradict the whole point of getting the shot in the first place.

So I politely declined again.  I don't get the flu without the shot.  I don't need the shot.  I don't want it.

And they made fun of me. 

When you get sick and have to call in you can use our sick time to cover your hours, since we'll be healthy. 

They rubbed it in good.

Now, this year, above all other years, I can't get the flu.  The stakes have gotten too high with bragging rights.  And I'm much too prideful to succumb.

But where the challenge comes in for me, is the cold.  Every year I seem to catch a hand full of doozy colds.  I live off of NyQuil and alka-seltzer and airborne which knock me out cold on the couch everyday after work until I pull myself out of the sick, medicated haze to tell The Circus goodnight, tuck them into bed, and then collapse into bed myself.

I hate colds.

They get me every year.

So with the onslaught of fall the challenge is again here to prevent myself from getting sick with a cold.

Especially since there's a nasty cold already circulating my office.

This year I will conquer!