The Chicago Experience

“Uh Mom, you might want to pull over,” I declared as my cousin’s face turned from tan to white in an instant.  I could tell that Kendra was barely keeping her breakfast in her stomach.  This was the first incident we encountered on our way to Chicago, and it would not end up being the last.

            My whole family was headed to Chicago to celebrate with my Uncle Justin as he married Katie Borchert.  We did not get to see them much because they both attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Everyone was excited to go celebrate with them and we planned a long weekend in Chicago to enjoy our time.  I was even more ecstatic because my family was going to fly to Cleveland, Ohio to see my Great Aunt Pam and Uncle George. 

            We had all piled into the vehicles early that morning and everyone was restless because of the different hours and the long drive.  We had a good trip until just before Chicago when my cousin decided that she hadn’t enjoyed her breakfast too much and it would be better if it weren’t in her stomach.  We made it through that episode and headed to the house we were staying at.  Everything was fine until that night.  Then, I went on a downhill ride into catastrophe. 

            It started with a headache, then moved on to a stomachache, and ended with strep throat.  I was not a happy camper and no one found it fun to be around me.  The worst part was that my uncle and his fiancé were due to get married the next morning, with me as their ring bearer.  Everyone was going out of their way to care for me in any way they could and I just kept feeling miserable.  I slept forever and the next morning, I woke up and headed off to the wedding.  That might have been a mistake, but there was no reason to leave me at home I guess.  We went through pictures and all that stuff and I was almost sleeping as I walked around. 

            The ceremony began and I started thinking about others for a change.  I realized that I shouldn’t let my illness upset everyone else on my uncle’s special day.  This changed my perspective quite a bit.  I put an extra bounce in my step and tried to smile as much as possible and I made it through the wedding.  I was wiped out by the time we were done and I needed a bed.  But no, I had to go to the reception and sweat it out there for a few hours.  Each minute went slower than the one before it and I began getting restless and feeling pain. 

            My parents finally decided to take me into an urgent care unit where they could put me on some meds and let me go.  The only issue was that we had to wait for about two hours before the doctor could see me.  Finally, the doctor called us in to see him and began checking me out.  Once he was finished with his examination, he announced that my strep was very bad and I would need a shot to cure it. 

            Ouch! I hated shots when I was a kid and this was no different.  As much as I was in pain, I did not want a shot.  That’s when I started thinking about others again.  If I got a shot, I would be out of pain quicker and everyone else would be able to enjoy themselves sooner.  I gave in and got the shot and I was sure glad I did.  Even though we had to cancel our trip to Ohio, we were able to enjoy ourselves a little bit more for the rest of our stay in Chicago.  Best of all, I had taken some steps towards thinking about others before myself.  I had been able to make the decision that would help others, even though it may have hurt me for a short while at the moment.  When I got back to the house, I was much happier and it put a smile on everyone else’s face because they did not have to worry about me any longer.