By Stacy Turner

November is a season of change.  Perhaps this is why our thoughts tend to focus on gratitude as we spend more time gathering with our loved ones. As the year winds down, warmer autumn days transition to less sunlight, more rain, and lower temperatures.  And while the special time of gratitude kicks off the holiday season, it’s also when the cold and flu season begins in earnest.

When my kids were younger, it seemed like they brought home every germ and bug from school.  We all dutifully took our vitamins, ate healthily, and tried to get enough sleep.  We’d wash and disinfect around the house but still, my kids would catch a bug that would take them down.  And while they’d sneeze and sniffle for a day or two, we were fortunate that it was never serious.  Thankfully, with vitamin C, chicken soup, and some extra sleep, they’d soon recover. 

Unfortunately, I seemed to catch every bug that came my way from late fall through early springtime.  And because moms can’t call in sick, I’d usually spend the next week or so at half-capacity, slogging my way back to normalcy, only to catch another pesky germ a month or two later and repeat the process.  Vitamins, exercise, flu shots or disinfecting the house didn’t seem to make a difference. 

One year, I decided that apple cider vinegar (ACV) would help us all stay healthy.  But since no one else would willingly consume it, I tried to come up with ways to sneak it into our diet.  “Why does this orange juice taste weird?,” my husband or kids would ask.  I began adding it to smoothies, since the sweet frozen fruit and yogurt would dilute the ACV tang.  I had them fooled for a bit. One day, however, I didn’t realize that one of my kids was watching my smoothie-making process. She ratted me out to the others, so that whenever they heard the blender, they’d come running to make sure I didn’t add in any “questionable” ingredients. 

Later, I overheard my youngest telling a friend about all the weird, gross, “healthy" things I made them eat, like tofu, sweet potatoes, and kale. “Remember when you made us drink bleach?” she asked.  “It was vinegar.  Please don’t tell people I made you drink bleach.  Vinegar is supposed to help keep you from getting sick,” I explained. “Well, it tastes gross,” she countered.  Luckily, no one from Child Protective Services was notified.

I’m grateful not only for that, but because we’ve all stayed relatively healthy over the years, including during the crazy COVID times.  And since November is when we take time to count our blessings, that one tops my list.  And as a bonus, everyone has come to like some of those weird, healthy foods I made them try.

It’s ironic that these days, that same daughter who considered it a disinfectant now takes a bit of apple cider vinegar by choice when she feels on the edge of the seasonal ick.  And as always, the bleach remains in the laundry room.