This week, I had a cold. The kind that makes your head three times too big and sucks the strength from your bones. And, I was so grateful to be able to take to my bed and stay there for a bit. Actually, I was surprised at myself for doing so. The advertisements on television always say to do that.
“Rest in bed, drink plenty of fluids, and take (insert product of your choice) to reduce pain and fever.”
But we never do. We’ve developed this crazy idea that what we should really do with a cold is march through it like Napolean’s army through Russia. (That didn’t end well, in case you have forgotten your history.)
So, we push. We take our coughing, sneezing, wheezing selves to the office where we spread the virus to every elevator button, telephone, copy machine, and door knob we touch. We tell everyone who asks that we “sound worse than we feel.” Which is mostly a lie.
I don’t know why we do this. Is it because we feel indispensable? Or are we too proud to admit a cold can get us down? Or do we just not believe we should give ourselves time to heal?
Because, here is the thing. Rest helps. Our bodies need to use all their strength to fight the virus, without having to also fight traffic, technology, and office triage.
So, I stayed home today. And I rested. I did not spread my sickness to my fellow office-dwellers. I’m not sure why it has taken me so many years to give myself permission for this. But just in case you suffer from that same disease, let me relieve you. Next time you have a cold and wonder if you should stay home, stay home.
Permission granted.
A good and true word. Need to send this to my boss next time I’m sick.
Do it, Carol 🙂
I find your voice in my head a very comforting thing in moments of decision like these. So, even though you never gave yourself permission before now, you definitely gave permission to me!
I am so glad to hear that, Serenity! If I’m talking in your head, I’m glad to hear it is good stuff.
So many times the line between what i do and who I am gets a little fuzzy. Sickness is defeat and I just don’t have time for that. Gotta get it all done(LOL) Reminding myself of one of my favorite quotes helps…. God is not nearly as concerned with what we do with our hands, as he is with the heart in which we do it.
That is beautiful, Robyn! I’m stealing it.
Ugh, you’re so right!
I’m the WORST offender at this, even as an RN. I think, actually, being in the medical field makes it worse. I don’t know why, but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with having a hero complex about everything 🙂
Thanks for setting a good example and sharing the validation and permission!
I don’t know, you folks in the medical community are rather indispensable. Two days after I wrote this, I was bargaining with God to heal my doctor hubby’s migraine because the office couldn’t survive without him. We survived.