My analyst was off sick last week - the first time she has missed a session due to illness in four years. I read her email, sent at 10pm the night before, multiple times because it had so many more words than usual, more to interpret than the usual “I am writing with a note of January’s bill. All best.”
My analyst is the kind of person who uses the words “sickness bug”. It’s a good phrase, I like it. And she writes that she will see me next week: she is the kind of person who is confident of her recovery. She also asks me to let her know I have received her message. I imagine her worrying about things, like I do - in my life, and with my own patients. I respond, saying that I hope she is able to rest and feels better soon. I relish being able to wish her well, and take a mental note to tell her this in our next session.