The High Cost of a Mild Winter

We're probably experiencing the mildest winter ever here in the East and though that may be a good thing in terms of energy costs and not having to deal with the hardships of snow and ice, it's not a good thing in terms of good health. I have never been sicker in my life. I had "hay fever" for the whole month of January and it came with blinding headaches, runny nose and frequent sneezing. And as if that weren't bad enough, in February I developed the meanest, most virulent cold I ever had in my life. It came with an awful sore throat that made me want to scream when I first swallowed in the morning, sending me running to the doctor. He examined me and said "you're suffering from a very bad cold, half of the neighborhood is in my office with this thing because the germs are thriving in this weather and there's nothing to kill them, so don't feel bad because you're not alone." He said to try keeping bed rest and hot liquids for three days and if I felt no improvement by the fourth day to take antibiotics. Unfortunately my throat was better on the fourth day and my voice came back so I assumed I was feeling better but the cold had gone to my chest and I developed bronchitis for the first time in my life, so I quickly filled the antibiotics just a day late, and now I'm hopefully on the mend. But this bout of ill health has thought me a lesson. I will never again complain about the cold, snow and ice, in fact I will welcome a rough winter, because that's the normal course of events, having spring in February is not normal and there's a high price to take.