Recreational Whinge:  I hate being sick and I’ve had “the dreaded lurgy” for a couple of weeks now.  Although I feel I’m turning the corner on this thing I still reserve the right to whinge about how bad I feel for a few more days.  Is that a male thing?  (Not that I subscribe to gender stereotypes!)

Prior to moving to Australia, I got Pneumonia at least once a year since I was a baby (that’s 28 years’ worth!).  I count myself quite fortunate that I haven’t had it once in the 14 years that I’ve been in this gorgeous part of the world.

This isn’t Pneumonia, but the way I’ve been acting, you’d think I had a double or triple case of it!

So this recreational whinge is actually about me and what an annoying, pathetic, sniffling, sneezing, coughing and whining git I can be when I’m sick!

My partner often tells me that I’m one of the nicest people he knows but that I turn into one of the most horrible people – mean and nasty – when I’m asleep (that’s a story for another day).  When I’m sick, I get the feeling that the two distinct personalities start to merge. 

On the one hand, I’m generally pretty up-beat most of the time, but when I’m sick and struggling to keep my energy levels up and to stay focused on my work, I tend to get a bit narky, short-tempered and whingy. 

I don’t heed good advice.  I don’t necessarily take medicine even when I know it’d be good for me.  I don’t necessarily eat proper health foods.  I certainly don’t take much of a break from work and I don’t ensure I get good rest.

All those “I don’t…” statements add up to me being sick longer than necessary.  And the longer I’m sick, the more frustrated I get and quite likely the more annoying I am to others.

I suspect that I enjoy being sick.  Well, at least enough that I tend to give myself permission to be slack, not take care of myself and fall apart a bit.

Being the control freak I am, maybe it’s good that I allow myself to fall apart?

The Positive Spin:  I don’t get sick anywhere near as often as I once did.  Thanks Australia.

That also means people very seldom have to deal with my Sicko Whinges!