The past 72 hours of my life have revolved around taking care of my youngest son, as the flu that's taken hold of him runs its course.
The first 24 hours was the toughest for both of us--with him enduring a skull-splitting headache, raw throat, fever/chills, and occasional nausea. Day and night, he needed something almost all the time, be it more ice for the cold cloth that he kept on his forehead, more grape Kool-aid (the "only" thing he drank), another blanket 'cos he was cold, more Motrin, help getting to the bathroom because he was dizzy, Push-ups (like sorbet on a stick) for his sore throat--did I mention fetching Kool-aid and ice? I've got that practically down to a science. Oh, and then there was Raven, our dog who wanted to stick to him like glue, sometimes by walking across his supine body on the bed. This was accompanied by groans of discomfort from my son. Yes, groans of discomfort or discontent have been what I've had my ears tuned in for-- and there have been plenty of them.
The good news is that though he remains bedridden, save for a residual (improving) raw throat and some minor relapses, he is on the mend.
He's napping now though earlier he was trying to catch up on missed school-work. There's much work in the accelerated program, therefore lots of work was sent home yesterday.
He wants very much to go to a Duel Masters Mall Tour in Chicago on Sunday so he's motivated (to the degree his illness allows) to put a dent in the school work.
If we go to the Hawthorne Mall tomorrow it will be "we," as Dad got bombarded with work this weekend on his second job. I usually try to avoid malls. Scratch that. I always avoid malls. Only under duress can I be forced inside one. So then, if he's up to it I will break my no-mall rule. (Yes, I know, "What a good mom.") ;)
My reasons for disliking malls are myriad--suffice to say the Scot in me doesn't care to pay mall prices and the neurotic in me hates the crowds.
So how am I? I'm fine. I've dusted off my "Yoga" book by Christine Brown. I like it because of the many good-sized photos of stages of poses and the descriptions are easy to understand. I keep it open and use it to make sure I'm getting the details of the pose right.
It's also helping me from getting all panicky that I can't swim for a month (due to the college pool closure and my pool not opening 'till the end of May). There are several reasons to be concerned about getting proper exercise--I feel better, stronger. My heart likes it too apparently, given that my most recent cardiac stress test showed the best "numbers" that I've had in 5 years.
But, equally important is my struggle with body image issues. If I work out, I can eat more. Not gobs of food--but by the same token I don't have to worry about the occasional food indiscretion. If I'm sedentary, it all goes to fat, as evidenced my winter gain.
During this past Christmas and Spring break, the pool was closed for weeks and I didn't make yoga or anything else a daily activity--plus I did like the bears and ate more. I totally think it's normal to gain some weight in winter but I exacerbated it by slacking with exercise. I can't stress about it--I just have to be active and make food an only moderate daily issue. Moderate in that before I eat, I think about what I'm doing. No mindless stuffing of the face. In that mode, emotionally I'm a train wreck about to happen. Yeah, I eat out of crazy emotions--hard for most guys to understand--lots of women get it though.
So for me it's like puzzle pieces. If I sort them and fit them together, all is well. And I build on my successes, feeling more confident--but when I slip, I fall hard and getting back up is difficult, so I work hardest on keeping an even keel. Boring, if it weren't what helps me to keep my act together on several fronts.
Today is another cold (40's), overcast day. Because of my caretaking duties and my husband's schedule I have not been outdoors (other than letting the dog in and out) for three days. The weather hardly seems to be calling me, but the greenery that is popping up and out is a hopeful sign of things to come.
On that note--hope--I'll end.
Comments