Happy and Healthy

I am sure you will be happy for this little break from the Nadya Suleman circus. I must confess, it's hard not to write about that fiasco when there are so many facets to it that just beg to be written about. Be warned - there is more to come. In the meantime, today I will write about something different - one of the many unspoken advantages of being childfree.

This morning I e-mailed my close friend, Sara, to confirm we are getting together on Thursday night. You may remember Sara is a mother of 2 young boys and the person who took me to dinner a couple weeks ago at the Thai restaurant where the waitress lost her marbles when I told her my husband and I don't want kids. Anyway, Sara e-mailed me back saying she hopes she will still be able to get together - she's presently fighting off a cold.

In thinking about this a little, I realized that Sara is ALWAYS sick. Actually, always is probably a bit of an exaggeration, but I would estimate that 75% of the time I see or speak with Sara, she has some kind of illness. This got me thinking about the other moms in my life. My sister-in-law (mother of 4) is also sick constantly. Same goes for the moms in the office. Sick. Sick. Sick.

Where does all this illness come from? Kids. And not only the germs spread by the kids, but the weakened immunity system one gets from being stressed out and exhausted caring for said kids.

And then there's me. Knock on wood - it's a rare day I am sick. If I get sick once or twice a year, that's about it. I know that this is mostly due to being childfree. I am not exposed to so many germs, but more importantly, I am not exhausted and stressed out all the time, so my immunity system is pretty strong and can fight off any germs I do come in contact with. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that I have the time and energy to exercise on a daily basis, eat healthily and take good care of myself - again, all because I am free of kids.

Feeling healthy and not being sick is one of those childfree benefits that rarely gets mentioned but it's a great one. We don't think about it because we take our health and wellbeing for granted, but when you realize how many people do not enjoy this kind of consistent healthiness, you realize - it sure is a wonderful thing to feel good most days!