Colds Are Contagious Along With The Whining About Having One
Ruby, the wife of my neighbor next door, sought sanctuary at our house twice last week. She had to get away from Ed, who was suffering from a cold. Ed becomes a self-absorbed, whining baby, all six feet of him when he has a cold. I am not saying that about Ed, but it is what Ruby said about Ed. Ruby went to work early and worked late to escape Ed’s dying of his cold behavior last week. Twice she came for coffee and refused to leave after three refills. If you think it sounds insensitive towards Ed, please understand colds and flu bring out the dramatic in my neighbor. It is like he is working for an Oscar nomination for a reality show on suffering.
I’m glad to report Ed has recovered pretty well from his cold, and Ruby has come off her valium. Colds prove that sickness can cause stress to the one sick, but to their caregiver as well. Recently, I was beaten up by a cold, and felt sorry for myself. Feeling sorry for one’s self is a side effect of colds, flu, and all sicknesses. It seems to be a quick choice when anything disappointing, unfair or bad happens to us. When we whine, “Poor me,†it never satisfies us, as one poor me leads to countless more, and we become positive we will never get any better. I read that if you want to be happy you should stop, or drop feeling sorry for yourself. I dare say that the person who said that has never had a cold.
The same person said that, to live a much happier life you should drop the negative people around you. You are to drop the negative people in your life gradually. Until you can drop them totally, stay out of their way as much as possible. I think that dropping negative people is pretty harsh but then I am speaking for all of us negative people.
Thankfully, our suffering may not be serious or long term. Colds are hard to avoid because they are contagious. If I’m suffering from a cold other people may catch a cold from being near me. Colds get passed through workplaces, families, schools, team sports, etc. The truth is we are glad when we are not suffering from a cold. We may want to avoid anyone with a cold.
Sometimes, people believe that others made them sin. Eve said that the serpent deceived her so that she ate the forbidden fruit. Adam blamed God for his sin because the woman God gave him gave him the fruit to eat. Temptation to sin is a choice before us. We are responsible for choosing, or refusing to choose what is God-pleasing. Yes, others may be trying to deceive us and intent on having us do wrong, but ultimately we either obey God, or we do not obey him. The Bible says, “Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when full-grown, gives birth to death.†Sin isn’t contagious. Sin is giving into our evil desires.
