I am sick. Snuffy nose, achy, fever, sore throat, cold sick. It began on Friday and even with my valiant efforts of taking lots of go away sickness medications I am still sick. Your body can be sick or you can feel sick due to distressing news or a situation. Today let’s talk about being physically sick.
There are individuals out there who have significant physical ailments. I have a few people in my life who have or are experiencing this right now. My minor cold in no way compares to what they are experiencing. Not at all. When I watch them live their lives to the extent that they do it truly reminds me of what strength, fortitude, and determination is all about.
Typically we look at a minor illness for the annoyance it brings to us. Less energy, mental fog, needing extra sleep. It can feel like being sick takes away from our day to day living. Do I like being sick like this? Nope. I have people to tend to, things to do, places to go. Yet the more I fight this sick, the less energy and stamina I have to do what I need and want to do.
Perhaps my perspective is off. What if I look at this sick as a gift for what it does for me. I can lay around watch movies or binge watch netflix series, my food desires are all comfort foods, I am drinking lots of hot apple cider, and my naps are more justified. This sick is presenting me with potential and possibility to do something for my body and mind that maybe I need to be doing more of when I am not sick.
Don’t we all need a little bit more of nothing? Time for mindless activities without feeling that need to be justified because we have been so “busy”. There is a great moment in one of the many “Seinfeld” episodes where Elaine says loud and proud the night before she did nothing. Sat in her chair and looked at the wall kind of nothing. Even when I was a single parent raising two children working sixty hour weeks I had ability to do some nothing. I made it a priority for me to keep my sanity and scheduled it into my week. Somewhere as my life has evolved I have gotten away from my nothing.
So today in honor of my sick I am going to do nothing. Yep I am going to nap, enjoy my couch, comfort foods, tv binge watch nothing. I will rest my body and my mind to allow me to get better physically and mentally. My gift to myself will be to take actions that my body is craving while I heal.
Dear precious, hardworking, incredible human give yourself some nothing. There is time for it. It does not need to be a ton of time. It does need to be protected time. Your mind and body need the nothing. This is a deserved priority. Make it a scheduled time for you. Say no to some things and yes to yourself. You are so worthy of some nothing.
May your nothing be with you💜
Photo by Rex Pickar on Unsplash
