When I read that a congressman had been away from work for nearly four months because his doctor told him to stay home, my first reaction wasn’t anger. It was one simple thought.

Must be nice.

Not because I’m a hater. I want to give someone the chance to recover from depression. If your doctor tells you that you need time away from work to heal, I genuinely believe you should be able to take that time.

What stayed with me was the realization that the people he represents rarely have that same option.

For millions of Americans, a doctor’s advice comes with a price tag. If you’re told to take three months off, the rent is still due. The mortgage still has to be paid. The lights stay on only if the bill gets paid. Your children still need food and childcare. A doctor’s note doesn’t stop any of that.

That means people are forced to make decisions the wealthy and powerful rarely have to make. Do I protect my health, or do I protect my paycheck? Do I stay with a dying family member, or do I keep the job that keeps a roof over my head?

Those aren’t hypothetical questions for me.

I live with multiple sclerosis, and I’ve gone to work during flare-ups because I felt like I had no other choice. I have worked through symptoms that should have sent me home because losing my income wasn’t an option.

Years ago, while my mother was in hospice, I had exhausted the leave available to me. My employer eventually told me it was time to return to the office. I went because I was afraid of what would happen if I didn’t. That same morning, while sitting at my desk, I got the call that my mother had died.

That is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

No one should have to choose between being present for the people they love and protecting their livelihood. Yet that is the reality for countless Americans every single day.

What troubles me most is that we have accepted this as normal. We praise people for pushing through illness. We congratulate employees for never calling out. We tell ourselves that if we can still stand, we can still work.

But that isn’t resilience. Too often, it’s survival.

The deeper issue isn’t paid leave by itself. It’s that our society forces ordinary people to make impossible choices while many of the people writing the rules never have to face those same decisions. They have the financial security, workplace protections, and flexibility that so many workers can only dream about.

I don’t resent that a congressman had the opportunity to recover.

I resent that so many Americans don’t.

A country should not make healing a privilege. It should not force people to gamble with their health because missing a paycheck could mean losing everything they have.

The real question isn’t whether one elected official deserved time to recover.

The real question is why the rest of us don’t.