Advice given for shut-ins

Published 11:55 pm Sunday, December 17, 2006

By Staff
Here's a word of advice for everyone - stay healthy. I do care about the health and well being of my fellow man. However, that's not really why I'm giving out that advice.
Last week I felt a little run down. Dizzy and weak, I decided it would be better for everyone on the streets if I didn't drive in that condition. Being dizzy and driving is pretty much like being drunk and driving - not a good idea. Therefore, I took the day off and stayed at home.
I still got up at the usual time to help get my son off to school. My husband graciously agreed to drop him off at school so I wouldn't have to get dressed. What a deal.
That allowed me to stay in my gown the whole day. I did get up and make some coffee for myself and took it back to the bed with me. I was wide-awake at this point, but was in a position to stay warm, cozy and comfortable in my bed. I intended to lay still, take some slow sips of coffee and watch a little television as I suffered through my illness.
Not only was I dizzy at the slightest movement of my head, but I was suffering from a little nausea as well. Another great reason to lie still in the bed moving only the fingers necessary to navigate the remote control for my television.
That's when it happened.
I made a horrible discovery. Unless you are an avid spectator of court shows, talk shows, weird game shows, infomercials and the occasional news update, then you have probably made this discovery as well.
I pay almost $80 a month to have satellite television reception on four televisions in my house. That amount of money gets me about 120 channels. Big deal.
All that money, all those channels and not a single thing worth watching between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. What a rip.
I did, however, find out from Oprah that I'm probably wearing the wrong kind of bra, and heaven knows the jeans I wear don't flatter my body type.
If you want to make contact with someone &#8220on the other side” then Montel can hook you up with Sylvia Brown. She's got all the answers and doesn't seem to mind handing out her stuff on his show.
I did catch a pair of episodes of The Nanny on Lifetime at about 8 a.m., but even that network's daytime programming took a nosedive after they aired. I know I don't watch a lot of television as a general rule, but I promise I never even heard of some of the shows that are in syndication.
I found myself flipping through all 120 of the channels made available by my satellite provider. I flipped through Regis and Kelly. I did pause for a minute to see what Kelly Ripa was chattering about. The only reason I know her name is because she used to be on All My Children, which came on at noon and was the only bright spot in my television viewing for the day.
I also flipped by the Megan Muhaha show (I know that's not her real last name, but I forget). I used to think she was funny - but after Thursday, not so much.
After my one and only soap opera was finished for the day, I found myself wandering back to the kitchen to find a bite to eat. Another strike out.
My son and my husband eat lunch every day at school. I usually eat with the girls at work and my mother eats a light lunch of fruit, oatmeal or the occasional sandwich for lunch.
There were four slices of whole wheat bread (which I hate) and only one slice of lunch ham in the kitchen. Without wanting to throw my mother's routine off, I decided another big cup of coffee and some cheese crackers were going to be my lunch of the day.
So here's what it all comes down to in the end: Stay well. You don't want to eat a Spam sandwich on a hamburger bun for lunch the day you happen to be at home sick. And, if you are sick, you won't want to get out to go to the video rental place so you'll have a decent choice of what to watch while you recuperate.
So unless you have a cook who can whip up a fabulous lunch at your request and a vast library of movies on standby for your viewing pleasure, do everything in your power to stay healthy. You'll be glad you did.
Lisa Tindell is a news writer for The Brewton Standard. She may be reached at 867-4876 or by email at lisa.tindell@brewtonstnadard.com.

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