I had back to back meetings all morning today, so when I finally got back to my desk by the time noon rolled around, I noticed that there was a missed call from my mom. It’s not really like her to call during the work day, so I wondered if it might’ve been urgent. So I called her.

She actually sounded almost back to normal, so it looked like the antibiotic she was prescribed was effective, and she actually did have a mild case of pneumonia. That was the good news.

Why did she actually call, though? Well, she just learned from her chiropractor that someone just a year older than me who eats very well, exercises a lot, and leads a healthy lifestyle just died from the latest flu strain. He was just 33 years old. It completely freaked her out because we’re at a similar age, and she thought, that could be my daughter!! “That’s almost your age!” she exclaimed. “Make sure you wear enough clothes during the cold winter there, and eat healthy food! It was so scary!”

Oh, mom.