Today BeeBoDad is sick. It is quite sad…he vomited and lost fluids from other orifices all night as I peacefully slept in bed, half-wondering if he had fallen asleep on the couch. Being a lover of microbes and a “trained virologist” (meaning that I know how to play with the little buggers in the lab), I suspected a virus, probably Mr. Norwalk, or one of his wretched cousins. Not much we could do but ride out the “storm.” Fortunately, I was able to deliver him to the doctor this morning and she provided him with an anti-vomiting suppository (that looks like a silver bullet), which was dutifully picked up by the BeeBoFog and me at the pharmacy. So BeeBoDad is gradually recovering and managing to keep down some gatorade and pedialyte pops, probably because of said silver bullet and I have diligently bleached all suspect surfaces so the cruise ship will be prepared to debark ASAP.
During my zen-like bleach-aromatherapy cleaning frenzy, I thought about how blessed I was to live in an age when we usually know what makes us sick. Thousands, even hundreds, of years ago, these illnesses were thought to be caused by evil spirits, and some people even believe that your karma is responsible for these outcomes. I don’t believe in disparagingkarmic thinking and deride its own sacredness to its believers, but I love the fact that I know an unthinking multitude of viruses (or viri?) are muddling around in BeeBoDad’s unpleasantly surprised organs and tissues, but that’s okay since his defenses have been alerted and are moving in, and all the while, the viruses are closing up shop, hoping to have found another victim on the way (don’t you dare! I have a gallon of bleach!!) I don’t live in fear. I thank God that BBD has such a brief, while very unpleasant illness, and don’t see it as a source of punishment. I also think of how awful it would be if little BeeBo caught the bug, but we would have a much better chance of getting through it than if we lived in Mali or Sudan or Bangladesh.
I also thank Robert Koch and others for their scientific endeavors surrounding the development of Germ Theory allowing us to bravely identify our microscopic adversaries.
Please check out this beautifully simple list of germ criteria, also known as Koch’s Postulates.
