Gesundheit!

I saw a woman in the subway yesterday who was clearly VERY ill. Her eyes were running, nose, too, and she was coughing so violently I worried she was about to cough up one of her lungs at any moment.

Clearly she was not headed to or from any ordinary type of work situation; she was wearing sweats, reading a book. And she must have known she was ill because she covered her mouth when she coughed which was basically all the time between Metro Center and Eastern Market where I was relieved to get off the train. (Between Metro Center and Eastern Market, there are five stops.)

Maybe she was headed to or from the doctor's office - I hope so! Maybe she doesn't have a car, though if I were that sick I would take a cab rather than public transportation, but maybe the thought didn't occur to her.

Though most of us sharing space with her were either staring or glaring, or both, she was unapologetic, She kept her gaze fixed, as best she could, on the book she was reading. I do hope she wiped that book carefully with Mrs. Meyers cleaner when she got home.

Sometimes I wonder if people, in general, feel unwell most the time, hence getting very sick isn't that much worse. Eat food that doesn't agree with you or is not nutritious, become sleep deprived, overwork 24/7 without taking time for fresh air or fun, and you'll feel like hell, too.

I almost said, "Get in bed and drink warm liquids!" before I exited the train, but then I remembered the co-independence course I took a few years ago. I kept my mouth shut.

May you be well! My goodness. Shalom.