BUCKING THE SYSTEM: SOUP, 7-UP AND A SAUCER OF COFFEE MAKE SICK DAYS BEARABLE

Women are the workhorses of the world. That's why sick days apply to husbands and children, but never to moms.

I've never had time to be sick.

I've had plenty of time to think about this fact, because sinus pain, an unsettled stomach and an overall cruddy feeling have affected me for the past 10 days.

Even so, I've only allowed myself time to linger on my illness for 1 1/2 days. For the rest of the time, I've bucked up and been the workhorse that I usually try to be.

When I was in elementary school, being sick meant not getting a perfect attendance certificate at the end of the year. I was an awardaholic, and because I was never voted "best of" for my personality or ability to do long division, I wanted all the other awards I could get.

If however, I did get sick, my mom never had to take the day off because Ma Mable was always there to take care of us. Ma Mable was our childhood baby sitter and adopted grandmother, and she could be counted on to keep you full of soup and 7-Up, and to give us a saucerful of cream-and-sugar coffee as an occasional treat.

I was able to care for myself in high school, but I still didn't like to miss school. That was because missing school might affect my starting position on the basketball team or my attendance at a school function later that evening.

A sick day back then also meant confinement at home rather than a day off with Ma Mable. That was a nonissue because if Dad was home, he had control of the remote control. He would monopolize the television with ESPN or a dozen other sports stations, claiming he was awake when I could hear him snoring from where I lay on the couch in the den.

Things weren't much better if Dad wasn't at home, because then I'd be condemned to watching "land" television -- CBS and NBC only, because ABC never came in clearly in Charleston -- unless I had the energy to go outside and manually turn our satellite dish, in which case I might as well have gone to school.

Because I had to keep going, I learned early on to work through most illnesses. My strategy was simple -- just don't acknowledge the illness and it won't affect you. That generally worked, except in cases of pink eye (I couldn't see) or high fever (I couldn't function).

My adult life remains at a hectic pace, and I find I still dislike missing work days. Now, however, I understand why Mom loved Ma Mable so much and didn't want to take off work.

Like Mom, I can't get sick because I need to use my sick days on my children. I earn a little more than a sick day each month, but I have to save these because my sons are at those ages when illnesses strike swiftly and without warning.

As I said, I missed part of the workday Wednesday and all day Thursday due to illness. It was an unusual feeling to be home trying to take care of me for a change, but I managed to make it through. It helped that Patrick, who has no idea how to act around a sick wife, actually cleaned the house and cooked dinner using a recipe.

It took me back to my days with Ma Mable, when I could be pampered without wondering what price I'd have to pay. I even pumped myself full of soup and 7-Up. I also had some coffee -- served in a cup rather than a saucer and minus the cream and sugar -- to cap off the day.

There were a dozen things I missed during my two days off from work, and note that I didn't say my life shut down completely. My telephone rang constantly both days, and I still had to go to choir practice. I returned to work Friday definitely better but still pretty sick.

But at least I got to enjoy a rare two days off when it was my own body parts I was wiping rather than those of my children or husband. There's nothing like a little perspective.

~Tamara Zellars Buck is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.