By Pattie Mihalik

newsgirl@comcast.net

It may seem like a silly question to ask if you believe sick people should stay instead of going to work.

In a perfect world, the answer is “of course.”

The problem is this isn’t a perfect word.

Most people don’t want to be around someone sick. This is especially important this year when a newer, stronger strain of the flu is playing havoc in every state.

In our area it’s so bad that the diocesan bishop made an unprecedented plea that those who are sick should stay home and not come to church. He also stopped Communion wine in the common cup and put a halt to the traditional handshake of peace.

We’re taking the transmission of germs seriously.

Yet, look around and you’ll see obviously sick people on the job.

About a month ago while checking out of a grocery store, I placed my items on the conveyor belt then cringed to see the cashier cough into her hand — the same hand she used to pack my fruit and produce. In between coughing fits, she apologized and said she knows she should not be at work.

She went on to explain she isn’t full time so she doesn’t get benefits. To pay her bills, she says she needs more hours, not less. She cannot afford to stay home.

At least she apologized.

Last week the nurse’s assistant at a doctor’s office kept coughing and wiping her nose with a tissue. Then she took my blood pressure without washing her hands.

During my long newspaper career, I often went to work sick. There was even a time when I was so sick I left work early to see a doctor. Then I went home to bed and didn’t go to work that next day. An editor called telling me to get to work, even if sick, because they were short-handed.

We used to have a joke about that particular editor. We said the only excuse he would accept for missing work was death. Yours!

With five sick days, I didn’t squander a day by missing work when I didn’t have to. And I am in full sympathy with those who have no choice except to work, sick or not.

When I came home from the cold northeast after my Christmas vacation, I brought some things home with me — a sore throat, cough, nasal congestion that stopped me from sleeping and an all-over feeling of misery.

I stayed home, trying to get better for the big New Year’s party I was looking forward to. It wasn’t your typical New Year’s party.

Some pontoon boat owners formed a parade of boats that were going to travel the waters of the Gulf of Mexico with merry partygoers. Normally, as I told you in an earlier column, we parade only in the small canals in our backyard. It would have been quite the treat for me to celebrate New Year’s in the waters of the Gulf.

The boats were going to pull up to a seaside restaurant for dinner before our own party started.

I must say I love my pontoon boat friends. I love them far too much to inflict my germs on them, and those germs seemed to be settling in for the long haul.

When I called to say I was brokenhearted because I couldn’t celebrate on the water with some of my favorite people, my friend Andy said, “It’s not like it will be our last celebration. See you when you’re better.”

I stayed home from church for two weeks and put my newspaper work on hold. But after two weeks with the remnants of a cold clearly hanging on, I had to go do an interview that would have been just about impossible to reschedule.

The person I was interviewing took one look at me and said, “Stay away from me. I don’t want to get sick.”

I felt like Typhoid Mary.

I think she forgave me only because she loved her story — and because so far she didn’t get sick.

Why is it so hard for most of us to go to bed and stay there until we are completely better?

With some, they need the money too much for a lengthy recuperation period.

For others, we think we’re too busy not to keep going.

I remember one time when I was solely in charge of a major fundraiser that was a long time in the making. We had sold all our tickets and it looked like the event would be a success.

But then I got too sick to function. Worse yet, I had no backup. I HAD to go to the fundraiser, I told my doctor, begging him for one of his magic shots that would immediately make me better.

I got a shot all right, and it knocked me right out. I went to bed and couldn’t get up for two days.

Of course the fundraiser went on without me. I wasn’t as essential as I thought.

It’s never easy for me to give up and stay home. But I believe we all have to do our part to prevent the spread of colds and flu. We might not be able to achieve world peace, but at least we can do this one small thing to stop spreading more cold weather misery.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.