Tempting Fate

I should have known better. My very supersitious mother would have said I asked for this. At a graduation party this weekend for my nephew and his lovely wife I was visiting with my sister-in-law and saying how healthy we had all been this winter. I knew I was taking a risk by saying it out loud, but hey - it's May. The winter germs have all flown north for the summer, haven't they? Even my few taps on the laminate chair for luck could not prevent the inevitable.

So here I am, surrounded by a pile of used powder blue tissues, a to-do list with only a few things checked off, a large glass of icewater and a headache that feels like it's going to split my face in half. I've tried to be strong - I did a little work today from home, feeling guilty about the projects that are waiting. Anything that requires real brain-power to accomplish just seems so overwhelming. I cleaned the kitchen and even threw some laundry in. But that's about it. After each activity, I've needed at least an hour on the couch to rest from it. Even as I type this, it feels like my head weighs about 25 pounds heavier than it should and feels like it is teetering dangerously on my head, ready to loll to the right or left at any moment and take out my glass of water on my right or the growing pile of papers to be filed on my left.

[Pause. Blow nose in powder blue tissue. Wash hands with anti-bacterial soap to try not to let germs jump from hands to computer keyboard.]

I can't really complain. Like I said, we've had an incredibly healthy year compared to many of our friends and in the grand scheme of life, I should take this as a gift. An opportunity to slow down. A chance to rest. Something I wanted, right? So why is it so hard to do that?

Here's my motivation to get better: It's supposed to be 80 degrees on Mother's Day! Woohoo! Excuse me, need to grab another tissue . . .