I don’t know about you, but for the past few months it seems almost every one we know has been plagued with some sort of winter illness. The flu, stomach bug, sinusitis, the croup, pneumonia – you name it – has made its way through normally healthy families. And when Knoxville made the news in January, cited at the “number one area in the country for flu activity,” it became all too close to home for East Tennessee.
With sickness making its rounds, it offers a grand opportunity to encourage friends and help them get out of the flu funk. If you are one of the minority of families that has been spared thus far, congrats! Take that energy and try one of these four simple ways to help friends fight the flu:
1.) Care Packages
Think of things that you normally purchase while sick – sports drinks, ginger ale, pretzels, canned soup, saltines, hand sanitizer, tissues/toilet paper/paper towels, over the counter medications, popscicles, disinfecting spray – and create a care package for a friend. Simply pack up the items and leave it on your friend’s porch. Or, if you are out of town, a smaller, more postal service friendly option will work wonders. Many times mama may feel fine, but is surrounded by sick kiddos and cannot leave to grab essentials. Think baby wipes and diapers for those with sick babies, too!
2.) Dinner and a Movie
If they are not experiencing the stomach bug and can handle regular meals, considering making a crock pot of chili or soup with a side of bread or biscuits and taking care of supper for them. Or call in a pizza, pay for it over the phone, and give the delivery driver your friend’s address. You can also rent a movie on Redbox for them, or find an inexpensive DVD to stick in your care package.
3.) Send a Message
Several of my friends and I use the Voxer app to keep in touch on the go. For those sick at home with little ones, find a book that you have that you know the family also owns (or, purchase it and stick it in the care package mentioned above!) and read the book via Voxer. It will record your story like an audiobook, and the children recovering from illness can flip through their version and listen to you read to them! It will give their mother’s voice a break, and a few minutes to sneak off and clean the bathroom before another disaster occurs. Or, simply send some good ol’ fashioned snail mail and send a get well card. My kids also love to mail coloring pages and stickers to their friends!
4.) Run Errands
Maybe they have a prescription called in at the local pharmacy, or they need their trash taken off, overdue library books returned, or dance/karate tuition paid. Take the time to see if you can lighten this burden by taking an hour or so and running a few errands for your sick family and friends. They will be able to relax much more knowing those unfinished items on their to do list are successfully crossed off!
In times like these, we’ve got to stick together. Making friends and family feel loved and cared for while sick makes the healing process much more bearable.
Have you experienced the flu this season? How have friends and family come to your aid?
I’ll know who to call when we’re sick 🙂