Sometimes you have to get sicker before you can get better.
― Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle

 

I’ve been AWOL, and that’s for a number of reasons, but most recently it was because I was completely, utterly incapacitated by the flu.

Prior to that, it was that general seasonally triggered malaise that I get every year. I was overwhelmed, anxious, tired, unhappy, and it wasn’t until a long-term reader (who sees me go through this every year via these virtual pages) checked on me to see if I was all right that I recognized it for what it was.

And then the flu hit, and I completely couldn’t function. My younger kids got it first, whittling away at my already probably insufficient sleep, wearing down my immunity. It hit me like a Peterbilt truck: chills, headache, muscle ache, nausea, sore throat, unrelenting cough, unfightable fatigue. I hurt everywhere. Even my scalp hurt.

During my waking moments I feverishly caught up on work-related tasks. During my sleeping moments— and those were unquestionable the bulk of my hours for about a week— I feverishly tossed and turned and hacked up lungs and, apparently, repeated directed my youngest child to bring me bratwurst.

But the whole time I was composing blog posts in my mind. I missed being here.

So, I’m back. I can breathe again, and I can stay awake for more than 20 minutes at a time again, and I can talk without dissolving into tearful coughing fits again, and it’s funny how this is enough to snap me out of my previous mild depression. I am a human being again! I feel like I have So! Much! Energy!

You can take my word for it, though. Trust me, you do not want the flu this year; it was no joke. I am very fortunate in that I work from home and have a fair amount of flexibility in the hours I keep; I was doubly fortunate that Jeff took on all things parenting over the weekend, from soccer games to grocery shopping. Not everybody is so lucky, and I wouldn’t wish having to drag a flu-ridden self into a car and to work or a double-header on anyone.

I know many people are very anti-flu-shot, and that’s not a debate I’m looking to have. I’m just going to say I wish I’d had the flu shot this year and if you haven’t fallen yet, I’d play the odds and go ahead and get the shot.

If you do get the flu, I’m hearing that my 7-day duration was a short one compared to pretty much everybody else. I slept every moment I could, drank a TON of hot tea, and watched a healthy amount of Doctor Who (the David Tennant years). That sounds like an awesome prescription for a healthy happy life, doesn’t it? Maybe it will work for you. 🙂

 

Stay healthy, be grateful for your health today, and I’ll be back to a regular posting schedule tomorrow. Promise.