When one has a normal sit-down job, coming to work whilst ill is fairly common. Victims of the flu, colds, headaches or other maladies take various over-the-counter medications and hunch over their desks with steaming cups of herbal tea or chicken broth. Glazed eyes gaze at computer screens, scratchy-throated voices make necessary phone calls and somehow the work gets done.
Working in a slots position however, one finds "sucking it up" quite impossible. Eight hours of walking is tough enough even in the best of health. Add some muscle aches, chills, and a throat that burns with the fire of a dying star and the only solution is to call out sick.
Currently I'm on day two of such an ailment and while I know I'm unable to perform the tasks required of me at work I still feel guilty for not being there. Is this an American condition? Is my work ethic so strong that being legitimately sick and fully justified in calling out still haunts me? Not that I'm not enjoying this as much as possible. Though I ache all over and my throat is sore, I've been catching up on movies and TV and soup eating. Maybe I feel guilty because I know with a desk job, I probably could have soldiered up and mustered through the day. I'm sick but I'm not dying. But when working a job infested with cigarette smoke and physical activity, being sick can feel like dying. And when I'm dying, I'm of no use to anyone.
That being said, I'm going to return to my Freaks and Geeks marathon and attempt to keep my guilty feelings minimal.
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