And staying home from work is not one of them!
At the risk of sounding positively toxic, there are some upsides to being sick for two and a half weeks over the holidays. I wouldn’t have seen them the week before last when I was hacking up half a lung from the deep, rumbling cough that I remember from childhood bronchitis and that apparently RSV brings.
No, the first few days, I was out of it. As my husband told our son, “Your mom is really sick. She hasn’t even asked for her MacBook.”
After that, my mind came back to its usual wandering. I was busy lying under my electric blanket, propped up by three firm pillows, one of rigid bamboo composition, finding ways to pass the time between dozing the day away thanks to regular doses of NyQuil.
But now that the cough has intermittently eased and I’m vertical more often than recumbent, I can see some definite positives. I’ve added them to my gratitude list.
10. Confirmed Suspicions
Stupidly, during the second week, I wiped my eyes after coughing into my hand. The result: weepy, goopy eyes that watered constantly. In the mornings, they were glued shut. I couldn’t read, and I’m not so down with books on tape. But I could get a sense of a plot or information from the TV at the foot of my bed. Unfortunately, I learned that most of cable TV fare is crap. Only on some evenings is there anything worth watching. Case in point: Sundays with Hometown and the myriad baking championships- although I fear they’re only seasonal. Even Prime and Peacock have little worthwhile that doesn’t have a laugh track or isn’t on old, grainy film.
9. An Abundance of Plastic Jugs
After running multiple gallons of water through two vaporizing machines, one in each bedroom, I now have plenty of empty plastic jugs for the winter sowing that I‘ll start in February. I’ve even decided which seeds I’ll start and have ordered them!
8. Binge Time
See #1. Even so, I did find William and Mary, a British series from 2003, that stars one of my favorite actors, Martin Clunes. The premise is fairly believable, and I always enjoy comparing Clunes’ various roles to his famous Doc Martin character. Being sick, I was able to watch an episode or two each night for a few evenings.
7. Earning Extra Credit
Yes, even flat in bed or semi-upright, I was finally able to watch and listen to several recommended videos provided by my Master Gardener chapter. I didn’t need more education points this year, but, hey, with nothing left to watch on television, why not gear up for spring and earn a few points now? I’ve learned about growing dahlias, roses, and container flowers, as well as getting the most nutrition out of homegrown veggies. Score!!
6. Rearranging my garden
Watching the gardening videos naturally piqued my interest in revamping my own garden. So out came the expensive black sketchbook, a gift from the Lilly Teacher Creativity folks, repurposed for my gardening notes and drawings. This year will be too late, but I’m determined to create a cold frame out of one of my raised beds, the one that in years past served well for oregano, thyme, sage, calendula, and onions. Then I moved the herbs. Last year, the zucchini didn’t fare so well, so at the end of this next summer, I’ll try something different. By adding two old doors atop the raised bed, I won’t have to worry about plastic jugs for early sowing. See #9.
5. Maintenance Is Possible
Some people I know want a second helping of firsts as their dessert. Not me. I’ll take sweets every time. But being sick for the past few weeks has lessened my seasonable overeat. First, I haven’t baked as much as usual because we canceled our traditional Christmas brunch. No pecan or old-fashioned cream pies in this house. No tasty orangey-pumpkin bread, not even for the neighbors! No leftover cheesy potatoes or sausage quiche filled with cream and cheese. In their place, we smelled a few crockpots filled with brothy soups designed to loosen up congestion.
Now, I will admit that the goodies my friends brought for a cookie exchange right before I got sick have called my name a few times from the garage refrigerator where I so bravely stowed them, hoping to save them for a postponed holiday. But I have spread out my nibbling over the course of the sickness. Score another point for me!
4. An appreciation of fortified cereal
These past weeks I haven’t been eating bowls of Quaker Oat Squares, my favorite cereal, or Honey Nut Cheerios, the cereal boasting the highest level of fortified iron. But several months ago when my anemia was at its peak, I did eat plenty of the grainy stuff, sloshing in a bowl with unsweetened coconut milk. In fact, I ate so much of it that my PCP told me she’d never seen anyone raise their iron level so quickly. A closet competitor in many arenas, I took that as a badge of honor and sat a little taller on the examination table. Now, even though my white cells are still low, I’m grateful for the extra boost- -if not pounds- that the fortified cereal imparted. How would I feel if I were still sluggish from anemia, too?
3. A Marriage Boost
God’s timing can be awesome, even on stressful days. I was full-blown sick for about a week before my husband joined the ranks. One of his primary love languages is service to others, so he was all about delivering chicken soup to me, restocking my water, running errands, taking out the dog four times a day, and refilling my humidifier. There was nothing he wasn’t ready to do.
But as soon as I navigated the tight curve toward feeling better, he began hacking. Now it was MY turn to be the one of service- not my love language! But, I was able to move my operational base downstairs and return the care he’d given me. Stepping out of a comfort zone is usually a positive, and this time I was grateful for friends bringing food, neighbors shoveling us out, and family and friends sending messages of encouragement. After a few days in the guest room and a visit to the doctor, he was also turning the corner.
2. Silence
In the first few days especially, when I was in exile upstairs, our two-story house was very quiet. Our limited activity underscored by the hush of a yard filled with fresh snow was otherworldly delicious. There was a holiness about the silence that was healing in itself. It was almost like being in an unprogrammed Quaker meeting right in my own bedroom– except for the occasional coughing. And steady sneezing. And routine runny nose blowing.
1. Quality Time
Dreaming big and setting up plans is headspace I’m comfortable living in. Even establishing routines makes my heart smile. The trouble is that with so many “what if’s” going on, I often overextend myself. I often race through my Bible-in-a-Year reading or don’t settle before I start my morning prayers because my head is filled with items on my daily list.
These past weeks, though, I haven’t had anything competing for my time. I can take as long as want or need to do anything without feeling that I’m ignoring something else. I skipped piano practice for two weeks. Added to the 18 days we traveled without access to a piano, that meant I hadn’t touched the keys for over a month. Add guess what? When I finally sat to practice a couple of days ago, I was rusty, but it wasn’t long before my fingers and brain were aligning again. I’ve also made time for meaningful conversations this past week. Boom! Another point!
Don’t get me wrong: being sick hasn’t been fun, and neither of us is completely well. We’re postponing the Christmas gathering yet again, and I can’t wait to be better.
But instead of the list of negatives I thought about making, I decided to focus on some positives.
And that’s one takeaway from my new acquaintance with RSV worth keeping. No matter what’s going on, I can choose how to spend at least some of my time. It might as well be positive! And that’s the win for me!
