Disclaimer: I’m on the “Theraflu-Nyquil Diet,” today and the following post may not make any sense. OR- you may find it wildly entertaining.
I am home sick today. Day 2 of the “head-cold-hot-mess.” I have a hard time sitting still and a hard time resting, even when sick. I don’t like sleeping during the day or the haze cold meds put me in, I hate being away from my kiddos and leaving them even with the most talented substitute and I don’t like sitting still. The garbage needs emptied, dishes to do, laundry to fold, groceries to buy, floors to vacuum and an incredible amount of lesson planning, report carding, email returning and paperwork to do. Oh ya, and fundraising and training for Rainier!
So… if you’ve made it this far, you might be sensing that I’m in a foul mood. True. I don’t like being sick. It brings out the grumpies in me better (or worse) than anything else. I turn into a monster. A weak, whiny, mushy monster. A monster who cries and repeats “I don’t feel good…” over and over again and says “No,” to anything that’s offered to me. I have sent Justin on adventures throughout the greater Puget Sound looking for otter pops, walked to a Taco Time in my PJ’s and the rain (and yes, tears) to satisfy a craving for a crisp meat burrito, confused Nyquil with Dayquil and then cried, and have been known to fall asleep in the bathtub, while crying. Notice the common thread? Tears. They just flow. I don’t know why.
The only way to stop the tears.
I remember the first time Justin experienced this wonderful quality of mine. We were at my Dad’s house in La Grande for Christmas 2008. It was the first time J had visited my hometown or met my Dad. Great recipe for disaster already, right? Then I got strep throat. I had a wild fever, was throwing up, laying in a puddle of sweat and… crying. Between sobs, I poked my head out from under the blankets and saw my Dad and J standing there, with their arms crossed, looking at me with a puzzled face. “She just cries and cries…” said Justin. “I don’t know what to do…” My Dad shook his head, ”Me neither.” Oh goodness. Welcome to the family? Merry Christmas? Yay. Good times. They spent the week bonding; looking at Elk, driving around in the snow and keeping their distance from my hot mess while the antibiotics did the trick. Both my Dad and J are saints to put up with all of me. I’m a lucky lady and J’s a lucky man to be out-of-town, in beautiful Yakima, for this round.
But I’m nowhere near that sick this time. No strep or flu and only one short round of tears late last night. Just a nasty cold with a side of fever that’s taken my voice, making it impossible to teach or manage my classroom of 25 little inspirations. I’m bummed. I miss being with them. I also miss the gym. I started off the week with a fast-paced 4 mile run and some serious stretching, followed up the next day with a good hour in the weight room, where I was randomly told by a teenage boy, “You have nice form, not in a creepy way.” Um… I’m sorry… what? Confused, I zipped up my hoodie and managed another 4 miles on the treadmill. I am building endurance and strength, inside and out. I am so ready for this challenge!
One benefit to being sick… I finished one of my books. A few days ago, I picked up a new book- “Learning to Breathe,” by Alison Wright. This is a remarkable story about a photojournalist and her journey from a terrible bus accident in Laos to her climb up Kilimanjaro. To be honest, the writing isn’t that great and the narrative is choppy and only a few pages are actually dedicated to her Kilimanjaro climb, which disappointed me, but- the story is inspiring and her courage and strength shine off the pages and it’s still a good read, reinforcing the joy I feel when hearing about people doing selfless things to help others when they could’ve easily walked away. It cheered me up and made me cry… happy tears.
So. I’m going to work on slowing down, getting healthier, both inside and out and back in the classroom and gym, with no tears. Well, with minimal tears, let’s not get ridiculous here. It’s Amy. Now off to find that crisp meat burrito…
