It’s that time of year, when Kleenex becomes my best friend. My son, bless his heart, gave me the gift that keeps giving: a cold-virus laden smooch that has laid me low for the past two days.
Colds are a given, especially when a member of your household is in elementary school. You start off with an odd tickle at the back of your throat that moves on to sneezing, sniffling, fuzzy-headed, I can’t rest misery. Anything to dry up the coughing and congestion automatically becomes your gin and tonic. My preferred libation is lemon-flavored Theraflu dosed with copious amounts of honey.
Comments regarding said cold have ranged from “already” to “it’s that time of year” and “don’t you hate this weather”. I have no idea what the weather does, except keep us inside with poor air quality, giving way to viral shenanigans that would make the cast of Wedding Crashers blush.
So, what can you do to prevent this arch enemy of perfectly applied foundation? Not a lot if you are in an enclosed space with other germinators. Wash your hands often. Anti-bacterial soap does nothing for you other than create antibiotic resistance should you develop any type of bacterial infection. Drink plenty of fluids. Flush your tissues instead of throwing them in the trash. There is less chance of spreading the cold virus. Open the windows and doors of your home. Since the air inside our home is more polluted than the air outside, enjoy Mother Nature and all that she has to offer. Last but not least, rest. It helps you heal faster and let’s face it, no
one wants to hear us complaining endlessly about how sore the end of our noses are.
Plenty has been said about other remedies: chicken soup, Vitamin C, echinacea, calendula, ginger and garlic. However, I am not here to diagnose nor am I medically qualified to do so.
Colds suck. That being said, my bartender has my gin and tonic ready.