The Impulse to Fix Things

My son's running a fever. 

Intellectually, I understand that a fever is his body fighting off an infection. That this is a useful response. 

And yet touching his burning forehead makes me a little panicky.

We don't want our loved ones to be sick, and we will do almost anything to make them better. Sometimes, though, things need to run their course. It might get worse before it gets better.

Sometimes it's not a person who is sick, but a system. It's a little more complicated to support a system--you can't just offer fluids and the good tissues. 

But as with a person, systems may need to sweat it out. And we need to watch for warning signs that we need to call in an expert. Hopefully not at 3 AM.

And now to get some sleep while I can...