it occurred to me one day last week,

as i came home to find my whining husband in bed sick…
home early from work…

he admits, and i remind him…
he’s a bit of a baby when he’s sick.
so i never really know to what degree he really is.

i’ve heard that runs with the gender…

so when he actually took a sick day,
{after 2 days of coming home early to go through a box of tissue}
i knew he wanted to be out flat.
and he would have loved to be absolved of all responsibility
in the dad and home department.

but at first sign of his sickness, i was a bit cold.
i made him get up and help with the child.
and when he was home, i made him take me shopping and build shelves!
{again, cause i am wife-of-the-year….}
he even said the first night as i put him to bed,
“you’re kind of mean when i’m sick.”

and after the day was done, and that poor man was wasted as could be,
i reminded him again,

“moms don’t get sick days, ya know!”

if it were me, what would i do?
get up, and do my job.
and no, i’m not going to get paid while i do!
there really isn’t a choice.

the next day, i was sick, thanks to him.
and i felt awful.

and yes, i did have to get up and be mom,
and then sit back down cause i was lightheaded and hacking…

but i got through it fine i guess.

saturday morning was worse. way worse.
i felt like i had woken from a nyquil nap, only i hadn’t,
and i couldn’t stop coughing,
and my body felt like i had simultaneously sprained every muscle in my body,
and i discovered it as chills came on like hot flashes…

it was a few hours into the morning,
when i realized that i had done nothing.
nothing at all.

and i awoke from my fog to find a cleaned kitchen,
a fed child, food in front of me,
and actual time to recover.
it was a miracle.

and what made me feel worse was,
i didn’t deserve it….

not after the day i robbed him of,
or how i failed to take care of him so selflessly like he does.

but he just kissed me and smiled,
“moms don’t get sick days,”
he told me.

oh how i don’t deserve this man.