“Autumn has arrived. 
I hear it in the 
whispering of leaves.” 
Dr. Anujj Elviis

While Doctor Elviis may acknowledge the arrival of autumn by the whispering of the leaves, my experience has been a little different. Year after year, I know autumn has arrived when I hear and feel the deep, persistent cough in my chest. I can almost set my clock by it. It’s been happening, if I’m not mistaken, for about fifty years. This year is no different. 

It would be easy for me to blame my grandkids for the cough. Over the past several weeks, the three grandkids I see just about every day have all had coughs, as have others around them. I love it when they sit on my lap to hear me read a book or tell a story, but every now and then, they’ll inadvertently cough right in my face. One would think that could be the likely cause of my current condition, but as I mentioned, I’ve been dealing with this annual illness for longer than any of them have been alive.

It’s October and I’m sick. Nothing new. I’m taking it more seriously this year. In the past, I’ve tried to brush it off as no big thing, continuing to go to work, attend social functions, and enjoy an occasional Friday night high school football game. I can’t do this anymore. I’m getting older. When I ignore the symptoms, and do nothing more than take an over-the-counter cough medicine, the condition seems to last for weeks, even months. This year, I’m taking it more seriously.

Since meeting a friend for lunch at Ghirardelli Square in The City on Wednesday, October 7th, I’ve stayed home. I was planning to watch the Blue Angels fly over San Francisco on Friday, the 9th, but canceled. I had plans to meet my friend, Hal, for lunch this past Tuesday. I called to let him know I was under the weather and spent the day at home. I get together with a group of guys every Thursday night, but tonight I let them know I wouldn’t be there because of the cough. Out of an abundance of caution, I’ve already canceled lunch with my friend Brian today. And I was hoping to attend the St. Ignatius vs. Bellarmine football game at San José City College tonight. I won’t be going to that, either. This revised schedule has enabled me to stay home for seven consecutive days so far. 

Unless I feel noticeably better in the next few days, my next outing will most likely be to an appointment next Thursday afternoon. And if I need to cancel that appointment, I’m prepared to do so. I’ve been getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids (mostly tea and water). I’ve seen some progress in the past day or two, but the bug is still with me. Self-isolation is, without a doubt, the best option for me at this point.

Like everything else in life, there’s a bright side to all this. Henry David Thoreau wrote, “There is one comfort in being sick; and that is the possibility that you may recover to a better state than you were in before.”

I certainly hope so.