I'd been battling a cough for the better part of the past three weeks. Every time I felt I was getting past it, a new onslaught of coughing attacks followed.
Then this past Friday I came into work, and within an hour it was something new. I now had a headache, the back of my throat was in pain, it was hard to swallow water and Sprite, and worst of all, within an hour the hearing in my left ear dropped to about 50 percent. I could hear my heartbeat in my head, but everything else was hollow and mumbled.
I spent much of the weekend in bed at the suggestion of my girlfriend, Courtney, who cared for me. I asked my mom the last time I had an ear infection, because I don't ever remember having one. She could name off two - once in elementary school coming home from vacation and another in high school.
So this was not something I was used to. And the Debrox for the ears, while it worked, was oh so weird.
But I did get lots of sleep, which is something I typically lack. My dreams ventured to many different realms, and sometimes consecutively. No mythical land is safe from my sleepy neural synapses.
At one point, I landed in Middle Earth, following Gandalf on horseback. Gandalf the Grey is one of my favorite fictional characters ever created, so to be riding next to him in hobbit garb (let's face it, of course I was a hobbit in my dream) was a fantastic experience. Perla and Gabe, my kids, rode alongside as if they had been riding their entire lives. I don't remember the object of our mission; I just remember being taken aback at the pleasantry of it all.
For Christmas, one of the gifts I got the kids was jewelry for each from "The Lord of the Rings." For Perla, I got Arwen's headpiece that she gives to Aragorn for eternal life. I also got Perla the clasp that each member of the Fellowship of the Ring wore. For Gabe, well, I got him a replica of the Ring - the one ring to rule them all. And the Ring came on a necklace, so he could look like our little Frodo.
And unbeknownst to me, Courtney got me a present of the same thing - she got me an adult replica of the Ring. I swooned at how much she knows and loves me.
So here I am, ill and tired, napping on a Sunday while Courtney is doing housework, Perla is at a gymnastics tournament and Gabe is desperate to play football in the snow. But in my dreams, we are all together, riding horses with Gandalf.
And I felt right where I belonged.
- Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Monroe Times
and misses the summer warmth in the Shire. He can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net.
Then this past Friday I came into work, and within an hour it was something new. I now had a headache, the back of my throat was in pain, it was hard to swallow water and Sprite, and worst of all, within an hour the hearing in my left ear dropped to about 50 percent. I could hear my heartbeat in my head, but everything else was hollow and mumbled.
I spent much of the weekend in bed at the suggestion of my girlfriend, Courtney, who cared for me. I asked my mom the last time I had an ear infection, because I don't ever remember having one. She could name off two - once in elementary school coming home from vacation and another in high school.
So this was not something I was used to. And the Debrox for the ears, while it worked, was oh so weird.
But I did get lots of sleep, which is something I typically lack. My dreams ventured to many different realms, and sometimes consecutively. No mythical land is safe from my sleepy neural synapses.
At one point, I landed in Middle Earth, following Gandalf on horseback. Gandalf the Grey is one of my favorite fictional characters ever created, so to be riding next to him in hobbit garb (let's face it, of course I was a hobbit in my dream) was a fantastic experience. Perla and Gabe, my kids, rode alongside as if they had been riding their entire lives. I don't remember the object of our mission; I just remember being taken aback at the pleasantry of it all.
For Christmas, one of the gifts I got the kids was jewelry for each from "The Lord of the Rings." For Perla, I got Arwen's headpiece that she gives to Aragorn for eternal life. I also got Perla the clasp that each member of the Fellowship of the Ring wore. For Gabe, well, I got him a replica of the Ring - the one ring to rule them all. And the Ring came on a necklace, so he could look like our little Frodo.
And unbeknownst to me, Courtney got me a present of the same thing - she got me an adult replica of the Ring. I swooned at how much she knows and loves me.
So here I am, ill and tired, napping on a Sunday while Courtney is doing housework, Perla is at a gymnastics tournament and Gabe is desperate to play football in the snow. But in my dreams, we are all together, riding horses with Gandalf.
And I felt right where I belonged.
- Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Monroe Times
and misses the summer warmth in the Shire. He can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net.
