February Challenge Day 1 – Sick, but Showing Up
Today is the first day of February, and I have challenged myself to make a post on this site every day this month. I am trying so hard to pull myself out of this writing slump, but I already didn’t show up to write today, and it is only day 1. February is a difficult and emotionally challenging month for me, so I am really doubting my ability to follow through at this point, but I am going to try. Hopefully, most days I will have something more interesting to post than just saying I am here, but for me, right now, showing up is showing up and that is what matters the most to me.
Calvin has been out of town for work all week, and the kids and I have all come down with an awful bug. Being sick makes it especially hard to make the time to post on here, but I knew if I ignored it today, it could be months or even a year before I come back to this blog. I made a goal and I am going to try my best to stick with it, even when I am miserably sick.
The weather has been cold and bitter. The fresh fallen snow looks beautiful, but we haven’t had much of a chance to go play in it due to sickness. It seems like we all took turns getting the worst of the symptoms, so at least we have been able to help each other and not been equally miserable at the same time. Connor, my oldest, was the first of us to get sick. He almost never gets sick, and this bug took him down hard. After that, my middle child, Fiona, got it and she slept for two days straight, barely opening her eyes for anything. After that, Cara, my toddler, and I both got sick at the same time. Since Connor was feeling a little better at that point, he was so incredibly helpful to me while I was dealing with the worst of the symptoms. Now, I am cautiously optimistic that we are all through the worst of it, but we are all still pretty sick. My entire household is coughing up a storm and sleeping as much as they can.
I have long list of things that I want and need to get done, in terms of writing, homeschooling, and tasks around the house. However, all of that has had to take a backseat this week while we deal with being sick. For this week, I have no choice but to prioritize self-care, and then do a deep clean of my house to make sure we get all these germs out. I am hoping to feel even better tomorrow, which would make it easier for me to try to sanitize my house before Calvin comes back home. My big writing project of the moment is editing my manuscript. I am half tempted to work on it write now, as I already have my computer open and am snuggled next to my sick, sleepy toddler. However, I really don’t trust my writing abilities while I am this sick – as I am sure this blog entry will be a testament to. So, that is a task better saved for next week, when I am feeling better. I just need to make sure that I don’t put it off for too long and let myself forget about it again.
