lessons learned from the couch...

Sudden onslaught of cold chills. A hundred degree fever. Queasy. Achy. The need to be in bed.

Yep, sure enough, on Monday I got it. The FLU.

Thankfully there is a God. And He has given us Tamiflu. And it is a wonderful thing, as it's only Wednesday and I can now hold down foods & sit up on the couch without the feeling of searing pain exploding in my brain. I'm at the "good" part of being sick. (if there is such a thing!) You know, where you can at least get up out of bed and head to the couch. (a change of scenery!!) You can eat again, watch tv, or perhaps... blog! :) But that's about it on my "to do" list for today... well, that and maybe I'll get around to showering...

Being sick is a terrible thing. It's awful. But boy, when you finally turn a corner, isn't it the most glorious feeling ever?? Some things are better learned from the couch...

1) I can't live alone. I'm serious, I am amazed at how you who are single parents survive when you are puking and running high temps! My hat is off to you! I mean, I could barely even speak to tell my dear husband what I needed, much less could I have gotten up on my feet to go GET it!

2) We. Need. People. (and especially all the more when you've got young kids.) I don't mean any ol' sort of people, but what I'll call "your people." "Your people" live close by and love you enough to drop whatever it is that they're doing because they know you desperately need help. Since we don't have the luxury of having family nearby, "our people" usually come from our church. But I wonder how would we survive without their help on days like this? (as I'm typing this, a dear friend has offered to keep Caroline this afternoon so that Marc can work & I can rest)

3) Nothing tastes good when you're sick. Nothing. Not even chocolate, which is a crying shame.

4) We are dependent. Sickness is a perfect reminder that things do not go according to MY plan. As I might like to think I'm so strong and IN-dependent, sickness says exactly the opposite. The reality is that I'm quite frail, and it's only by God's grace that He gives me every breath, each day.

5) Whoever came up with the "BRAT" diet wasn't all that smart. (you know, "BRAT" for bananas, rice, applesauce, & toast to eat when you're sick) But rice? Really? Who wants to eat RICE when you've been sick? I know it's bland and maybe easy to digest and all, but I can't think of anything worse to eat than just plain RICE! As I'm thinking about it, maybe it should be the "BGAT" diet: bananas, GATORADE, applesauce, toast OR the "BATS" diet: bananas, applesauce, toast, SEVEN-UP... any other better suggestions?

6) Feeling good physically is such a gift of God. Really! We think we're entitled to it! We don't stop and thank God enough for it. I am reminded of many who don't have that luxury each day. Many who won't get out of a bed and recover. It's a tiny glimpse of resurrection each time we do.

7) We are made for rest. Not only does sickness stop you from the physical go-go-go, but once you're past the worst of it, it gives you some quiet time to reflect. To relax. Oh, and if you don't do those things, you'll get sick so then you'll have to do them...

8) You appreciate what you have and you hate what you have. Shall I explain? As I laid in bed practically comatose yesterday, every now and then a sweet little face would pop up next to me. "Mommy, how do you feel?" and I'd feel the sweetest little kiss on my cheek. There was no better sight than to look over and see Caroline's silly smile, and it made me long for the time when I will feel well enough to play with her again.

Now the hate what you have part? Yeah. That comes when you finally DO feel well enough to take the trip & venture outside of your room to see what has happened to the rest of the house in your absence... CHAOS. Like a bomb has exploded. Every book and toy and game piece and clothing article has been wildly strewn about, as if a pack of wolves was let loose to ravage your home... Your first thought is ugh. I don't care. I can't care right now. And then, as you begin to feel just a wee bit better, you find yourself secretly cursing the day you thought it'd be a good idea to get the 100 piece animal miniature set...

But I kinda think the BEST lesson was learned NOT from the couch, but by Daddy yesterday. At the end of such a looong, stressful day of trying to survive with taking care of two gals and frustrated with not being able to get anything done for work, after tucking Caroline in bed he came into our bedroom and said:

"Whew. Hats off to you, Mama! And ALL the moms in the world!" as he lifted his hat into the air. "I don't know how you all do it."

Now I'd say that's a pretty good lesson to learn, eh? :)