I’ve been sick for the last ten days. It wasn’t until day 3 of being sick when the coughing fits began, so last Thursday. But I can say that yesterday, Friday, was the first day in eight days when I was finally free of any coughing fits whatsoever, and it felt very freeing! It was almost like I couldn’t believe that the entire day passed without the need to run into the bathroom quickly to either throw up or hack up a ton of phlegm. Today also had no coughing fits, so we went out for the first time in two weeks to Bed-Stuy for some eating and exploration of our city.

It’s weird being sick for a while, and sick in a way where you are actually prevented from doing everyday, normal things like going out for a walk, eating at a restaurant, or buying groceries. Those are the times when you realize how important it is to take care of your health and your health first. And it also makes you appreciate it when you finally feel better and like you actually have the energy to leave the house for a day. Unless you’ve had a series of coughing fits yourself, you probably have no idea how debilitating they can truly be. Coughing up massive amounts of phlegm or to the point of vomiting really takes up so much of your physical and mental energy. Many times after the end of a coughing fit, I was so beyond exhausted that all I could do was lie down. Other times, I’d cough myself into a massive headache. Neither was fun at all. So it was refreshing to finally leave the house to do something fun today. I was still coughing, but it was no where as scary as the last eight days.