When I was a sick kid

Back in the day (way back) when I was a child and got sick, the first thing my mother did was make sure my room was clean so I could be sick in a neat, clean place.  Tidy bedroom, brown paper bag pinned to the side of my bed for kleenex disposal and The Jungle Book all prepped and ready for her to read it to me.

On the face of it that might seem like a good thing but in reality it set up a series of conflicts that have endured to this day (way beyond my childhood).

I'm not supposed to be sick in a place that:

Needs vacuuming - but I'm already sick

Needs dusting - but I'm already sick

Has laundry that needs doing - but I'm already sick!

Has dirty dishes in the sink - see above

None of these things can be done retroactively so I'm left wallowing in a miasma of indecision.

Should I try to drag myself together and at least hit the high spots when mostly I just want to sit down and fast forward to "I'm better now, that wasn't so bad"?

Should I try to convince myself that dirty is a relative term?  Years ago my brother told me that my dirty was cleaner than my clean used to be - that's the sort of things a brother says to warp your mind.

In reality I do pretty much not much.  Find a project (my Facebook friends know what that is this time - the great hat explosion) that doesn't require much effort and only a modicum of thinking and settle in for the 3 days that in my opinion is all it should take to get over anything.

Everyone has their own approach to handling sickness by themselves -  who among my no doubt dwindling followers is fortunate enough to have the house in spick and span condition when that tickle in your throat turns into the real deal?  Not a chance, right?

So keep a few ready made meals in the freezer, train the dog to think that 2 short walks a day really is enough and settle in to enjoy whatever affliction afflicts you.

As I'm so fond of saying,

You got this!

A bit of whining

Yup, it got me.  The annual cold - one minute I'm enjoying the idea that I rarely get sick and the next that little tickles starts in the back of my throat.  I jump into action with essential oils, chicken soup and lots of fluids.

The cold wins.

And I think I know why they call it a "cold" - nothing you do gets you warm!  Triple layers of fleece and jackets, hats (in the house even) and a blanket when you sit down - you tend to spend a lot of time coaxing the dog to please come and sit on your lap.

The good news is my "emergency box" has all the right stuff when the chicken soup doesn't make the grade.  And my freezer has enough home made meals so all I have to do is heat them up. 

I love having a little foresight almost as much as I would have loved NOT having a cold!

So I'm spending a lot of Netflix time while crocheting hats for who knows who.  Just the exercise of trying to follow the You Tube videos keeps my mind engaged while the kleenex  piles up next to my chair.

Periodically duty calls and dog and I venture forth for walkies - with the weather the way it's been lately (read: too damn cold) the walks are short and brisk.  I spent them trying to convince dog that he can do it all within 20 feet while he spends them trying to get as much sniffing as possible before his time is up.

Hopefully the few who might still be waiting for words of wisdom from this blog will allow a little whining - I hate being sick and I hate even more having to spend more than 5 minutes getting better!

Enjoy your holidays and keep a supply of chicken soup just in case.