Say It Isn't So

Earlier this week, the newspaper reported that a Vermont congressman collapsed while attending the funeral of a soldier from his state. He was later treated at a hospital for flu and dehydration. “I feel all right,” said 64-year-old Bernie Sanders, as he left the event before it was finished. “My wife had the flu. I’m fine.” Minutes later, he fell to the floor.

This is called denial, and it’s a human condition most often observed in the male gender of the species. It’s common for men to discover weakness in their wives long before they notice it in themselves, if ever.

It happened to me just this week.

For several months, I have reported that our move to the Southwest brought improvement to my respiratory system. I suffered with chronic sinusitis and bronchitis for years. I needed a desert, and I found it in southern Arizona. It’s great. I can take a deep breath without coughing. I became careless with my medication. I pretended that my chronic condition no longer existed.

Last Sunday, I woke up with a head that felt like a pumpkin. I started using my inhalers immediately, but it was too late. I’m very familiar with this cycle. It begins with heavy drainage from my sinuses, then moves down through my throat, into my bronchial tubes, and settles in my lungs. The process takes at least seven days, and if I’m lucky, it won’t go back to my head and start all over again.

We could wish that denial occurs only in connection with physical illness, but it doesn’t. It happens in other arenas as well. We all put on our happy faces, and pretend. We pretend because interacting with truth is hard. It takes courage.

Today is Friday, the sky is blue, the sun is shining, and things are looking up. My wife is feeling better, and so am I. Or is it the other way around?