We all have them sometimes. Those days that are just…ugh. This was one of those days for me. Well, more specifically, last night. I don’t know if it was something I ate (I suspect maybe the national sandwich chain from which I got lunch yesterday) or if I somehow managed to get a nasty stomach bug despite my continued mask wearing and diligent hand washing, but last night was not good for me. Chills, cold sweats, and those other things that everyone has experienced but nobody really wants to talk about. It. Was. Rough. And, since I spent almost the whole night on the bathroom floor and got almost no sleep last night, sleep is basically what my entire day consisted of today.
The Bearded One had to work, so after I took the dog on enough of a miserable walk that she had time to do all her business (it was all I could do to stay upright), I slept on the couch some this morning after my symptoms started to abate. That sweet bearded man came home quick to bring me desperately needed provisions (saltine crackers and ginger ale), and after he went back to work I took the dog back outside because she was suuuper bored. I put her on the tie out, which promptly broke when she went after one of my chickens. Then, after I managed to get it back together, a different part of it broke when she tried to run out to greet someone who was walking by (you’d think she would learn…), but I hobbled it together enough to stay out allll day. I knew she would hate being inside all day, so I alternated sleeping in the porch chair, in my hammock (which I currently have set up inside our quarantine cabin), in the computer chair also inside the cabin (I should probably write about the cabin at some point), and then on the porch chair cushions on the floor of the porch. Occasionally I would sip on water or ginger ale and nibble on a cracker, but my day revolved almost completely around sleep. And I really, really needed it.
I have this problem where I stay up too late. It’s usually because I’m writing, because when I started my writing streak I was doing it in the mornings, but then I had a hard time stopping and ended up having to book it to get ready and make it to work close to on time. But sleep has been something I’ve struggled to get enough of pretty much my whole life. I wrote about it a little in this post when I first shared that I’d started a writing streak. That was three months ago, and I’m still having a hard time getting enough most nights. And sometimes, when you don’t do what you need to for yourself, life has a way of making sure you do it. I’m not saying life was like, “Hey–let’s make her completely miserable for a night so she’ll get some sleep,” but here I am at the end of a day where I just slept, and I’m actually feeling a LOT better. *fingers crossed that I didn’t just jinx myself*
So, should I have done all the things that were on my to-do list for today (helping my dad on the farm a little, doing some laundry, mowing the lawn, potting up more tomato plants, making a plan for the week ahead…)? Maybe. But at the encouragement of that bearded fella (and the encouragement of my body after the hellish night we had together), I just didn’t do any of it. I used today for what I really needed after one of those days–recovery. Because even though I don’t like to wallow when something doesn’t go my way, sometimes it’s nice to sit in it for a little while and allow myself to feel my feelings, so I can come out of it with more of what I need. Music by The Weepies (aptly named) is a good soundtrack for those times, and this song in particular came to mind today, so I thought I’d share. I think a lot of us feel like it hasn’t been our year–you know, pandemic and whatnot. But I think what we need to remember is that we can rest and recover and come back better as the world slowly tries to find its new normal.
growingmoxie.com 