Four Snaps to Never Send a Sick Person

This semester, I got sick. Real sick. I got a cold at the end of winter break that just wouldn’t go away, then it was the flu, then it was pneumonia, and then it was mono. Back to back to back. For six weeks I was stuffed up and run down. All in all, I was back home away from Cal for three weeks. In this time I rested, watched a lot of daytime television, and of course, Snapped my buddies back at school. A lot of them sent me concerned selfies chock-full of caring heart emoticons, but some sent me snaps you really shouldn’t send a sick person. So as my own personal public service announcement, here are four Snaps you should never send someone who is ill. All pictures are recreations of actual Snaps I received while home sick.

1. The “Look how much fun I’m having!” Snap

That’s great for you, really. I’m honestly happy you’re having fun attending parties with themes that somehow encompass both princesses and reindeer. I hope you’re savoring the contents of that red Solo cup, and I hope the random dude in your Snap is fun to make out with. But maybe you can keep that all to yourself? I’ll make you a deal: you don’t send me pictures of the crazy fun parties you’re hitting up, and I won’t send you pictures of me watching Laguna Beach in my pajamas.

2. The “Let’s Hang” Snap

Sure, as long as I can slide down the slopes on a mattress, seeing as I’m on bed rest for the next week. I’m glad you guys are being fun and spontaneous, it sounds like a good time. And I don’t mean to be ungrateful – I’m glad you thought of me when picking companions for your sierra adventure. I’m just less glad that you didn’t think of me when I texted to tell you I was home sick three days ago. It’s fine though – you guys have fun, just please refrain from sending me a slopeside version of the “Look how much fun I’m having!”

3. The “Ugh, I’m SOOOOOO sick!” Snap

This gem right here is a two-part mass Snap from a friend fresh out of the Tang Center. I may have felt worse for my friend had I not learned from being diagnosed with the same infection earlier in the semester that it’s a scarier sounding word for the common cold. I understand blindly Snapping everyone on your contact list without paying too much attention to exactly who’s getting your pic, but I’d appreciate it if you’d think twice about Snapping someone with simultaneous pneumonia and mono about how grateful you are that you don’t have pneumonia or mono.

4. The “Are you sure you’re okay?” Snap

This one is at the other end of the extreme. While the previous Snaps came from people who were unconcerned with my condition, this one came from the person most over-concerned with my health: my mother. She sent me this Snap at 11:03 pm my first Friday night back at Cal after my sick leave. Aside from eye-rolling at parental use of “u,” “ur,” and “no,” this snap will never have much of an effect on my behavior. Either I’ll be in bed and will feel resentful that my mom doesn’t trust me, or I’ll at a party and will non-guiltily pretend I didn’t see her Snap until the next morning (thankfully my mom is not tech savvy enough to notice that the arrow next to her sent snaps turns white when they’ve been opened). Either way, this Snap makes me think my mom doesn’t believe I’m mature or competent enough to make my own decisions, and no one likes feeling immature and incompetent.

 

You shouldn’t Snap your friends less often when they’re sick. Snapchatting is fun, and people who are having a not-so-fun time due to an illness could use a pick-me-up. However, you should spend a while thinking about what you’re about to send before you send it. Steer clear of the four aforementioned Snaps and you’re golden. Stay Snappy, my friends.