Pinocchio’s Poison: An Emerging Pandemic

Ok, so maybe this is a little dramatic…With all the suffering in the world even the worst of aliments pale in comparison. But pain is subjective and really just a matter of perspective. So, this is mine and this is how it continues to warp.

My son exists in limbo, somewhere in a realm akin to Lassie or Geppetto’s Pinocchio. While he is a real boy, there are only a handful of ways you can truly interact with him and most of the time you can’t be sure if he is with you or just amused by movements and sound.

The second thing my son gave me was this cold. We woke up one morning and found him even more pink and chubby than usual. He was really uncomfortable and visibly disgusted with his fist big cold. After suffering a few days with the fever and snot, he passed it on. In fact he gave it to my entire family and all their friends and significant others. I’ve never seen a common cold spread so uncommonly. It was like wildfire, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Or at least bed full’s of groaning adults and empty bottles of ‘Tussin scattered about.

Now, I’m pretty sure I’ve never gotten the flu from my dog, and I’m damn sure I’ve never caught a thing from a hand carve wooden puppet; even one that can dance and sing. So this whole episode really caught me off guard.

As I lay their sucking breath through clogged pipes, I realized I’m pretty damn high maintenance when it comes to relationships. I need feed back, validation, or at the very least a high five. I revel in the happy mess of family and favor deep friendships over casual acquaintances. So bonding with my boy is my minds single anticipation. This however was not the type of connection I was thinking of.

For now, I will take what I can get. If tossing around in bed, feverish and broken for a week allows me to see the world though his little peepers, then so be it. I apologize to the rest of you; collateral damage to my cause. You took one for the team, and in my twisted way I am grateful.

By the way, the first thing my son gave me was a new sense of vitality and an eagerness for the days ahead. I guess this is just another example of that gift springing to life.