This past week in a nutshell: we all got sick, I traveled for work (while sick), we all started to feel better, and then suddenly it was Fall.
We’ve had this kinds of week before. And in the past I’ve barely made it through alive. But this week was different.
First, I did a totally crazy thing on Monday. I woke up with a sore throat. And I STAYED HOME from work. I KNOW. CRAZY.
I, of course, still worked a nearly full day. But I did so from my couch, in pajamas, wrapped up in a blanket. Where the only creatures I could infect were my cats. And where I could ACTUALLY REST and FEEL BETTER.
It’s a pretty novel idea, I know. According to a Career Builder survey released earlier this year, nearly ¾ of American workers go to work when they are sick. And I get it. It always feels like there too much to do. And that missing even one day can make it feel like you are weeks behind. Normally I am one of those ¾.
But Monday morning, I took a moment to think through how it would go: I’d get up and go to work, feeling awful. I’d then come home from work, still feeling awful and with no energy to play with Baby or make dinner. I’d then get up to travel the next day, still feeling awful through the long day and hours on the train. I’d then wake up feeling worse on Wednesday than I did on Monday, with half the week still left and not enough left in me to get through it. By Friday I’d be a cranky mess. On Saturday I’d beg M to let me sleep in and I’d determine that I was too sick to take Baby to her dance class so we’d end up skipping the second class of the semester. I’d then zombie-walk through the weekend and start the next week no less cranky than I ended this one.
This is NOT how life is supposed to be.
Now, I have to admit, my sick day didn’t result in a miraculous recovery. But I did feel better enough to endure the long day of travel on Tuesday. And I didn’t feel completely spent by the end of the week. I wasn’t a cranky mess yesterday. Today I woke up, did a load of laundry, cleaned up around the house, paid a few bills, and then took Baby to dance class.
I even drew up the nerve to french braid her hair (for the first time, ever!) before class.
not too bad for our first try
The lesson here, for me, is that the importance of taking care of yourself can’t be ignored. Whether you’ve got the flu or just too much going on in your brain or your heart, taking the time you need to feel better can make the difference between zombie-walking through life and fully enjoying every blessed moment.
And so, as the week came to a close, I got to enjoy the lovely early-Fall moments that I otherwise would have tried to sleep through.
first fire of the season!
Take care of yourself.