July 27, 2023

Do You Work When You Are Sick?

call-in-sick

I’m under the weather today.  Trying to get comfy in bed with a fever on a hot summer day.  Trying to peel myself away from my computer and my workaholic tendencies.  Trying to take catnaps while reading Unaccustomed Earth – Jhumpa Lahiri’s most recent collection of short stories.  Wondering on days like today why I don’t have a TV.  I’d love some Law and Order right about now.

I can hear kids playing in a fountain in the park next to my apartment building.  As a kid, I grew up next to a private elementary school.  When I was home sick, I remember hearing the school kids playing during recess.  I always thought “Ha, I have the day off of school and youuuu doooon’t!”  Maybe I will try to adopt that attitude today.  I’ll think of all my friends slaving away at work while I get to chill in bed reading fiction instead.

If I spent the afternoon working, I’d complete an interview and put some hours into promoting my upcoming book reading.  So instead, I’m going to crank out a little blog post about it and call it a day.

Am I the only one?  Do you guys ever have a hard time prying yourself away from work when you don’t feel well?  Are you addicted to feeling productive?  I’m damn lucky that I am self-employed and can manage my own schedule.  Have you had to work during your illness because you didn’t have sick days or disability leave?

Find out more about Mary Ann and other young adults who decided to collect disability during and after treatment - Read Everything Changes: The Insider’s Guide to Cancer in Your 20s and 30s.

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