The Flu

Yes, that's right. The flu.


My family was taken down one by one in the last 7 days with some horrible virus that was doing it's best to kill me, or at the very least, make me crazy. It started with the husband on Sunday (I have since started referring to him as "The Monkey from Outbreak", aka TMFO). By Monday night I was sure something just wasn't "right". I ended up being home and out of commission from Tuesday until half-way through the day on Friday when my fever had been gone long enough for me to at least go to work and check emails and make sure they hadn't replaced me. Nora spiked a fever at my mom-in-laws on Friday afternoon and battled it over the next 48 hours.


It has been a long 7 days.


Since I just don't think it's possible to wax poetic about the flu, instead I give you my observations from being bed/couch/house bound for much too long:


1. My 80's crush on Rob Lowe is alive and well in 2011. The amount of Brothers and Sisters that I watched should embarrass me.

2. Being able to stream Netflix is the greatest invention EVER.

3. I am not good at staying still for long periods of time anymore. This used to be something I was a master at, and it seems to be a talent I have lost along the way. I found myself glaring at the dust bunnies underneath the entertainment center and willing them to pick themselves up. The dog and cat were no help.

4. My daughter is the sweetest, most empathetic little soul I have ever met. Her concern for both me and her father was heartbreaking.

5. My husband is much more patient with me when I am ill than me of him (mental note to work on this in the future).

6. I would not be the same kind of person or parent (hopefully a good one) than I am without my "village". My mother-in-law saved the day by picking N up from daycare one day and taking her home with her in the hopes she would not catch what we had, and to let us rest. My mother, who had been sick herself, babied me over the phone a couple times a day. My friends offered assistance and kept me entertained with emails and text messages. My neighbor practically chased me down with offers of ginger ale and running errands. These people take care of me in a way I only hope to be able to return.

7. I feel like a slug without exercise.

8. I am so grateful for my health. This was *just* the flu. I can't even fathom what it's like for those brave families who battle deadly diseases and debilitating chronic illnesses each day. We are so lucky (mental note to remind myself of this much more often). 

9. I LIKE all the juggling we do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. I have talked a lot about balance here, and how hard that can be sometimes. And yes, it surely is, but we do it for a reason. Just a week without Punk Rope, meet-ups with friends, work, yoga with other parents, and visiting family members made me feel SO DULL. I like the stimulation of all that we love to do as a family and as individuals. I missed the balancing act and I am looking forward to life getting back to it's normal state of chaos this week. 




In other news: we have decided to join a CSA/Farm Share. This makes me giddy and it does deserve it's own post when things are all said and done. And now that I am on the mend, it's time to start putting together a plan for 10K training. Oh boy. Stay tuned!