Zooming from one task to another and another... So many things to remember all at once. I've taken multi-tasking to an art-form.
Remember the job, the kid, the house, the dog... Remember the groceries, bills, laundry, SSI forms and IHSS forms. Remember it's spring and it hasn't rained and the yard needs a drink and the worms have outgrown their bin and the weeds are choking the berries. Remember the kid on the coast has an IEP and the one up north needs a new walker and the one in town has an important meeting and the other one wants to do an art project and the littlest one likes to pull your hair. Remember Queen Teen has homework and she learned new signs and you need to learn them too. Remember she'll have more blood work soon so remember to plan how that will happen. Remember to eat.
Eat?
Oh right, eat...
Remember to take vitamins and get rest. Remember all of this, or else.
Or else?
And then I got sick. Big surprise.
Last week I woke up nauseous and chilled with a low grade fever and body aches. I'm finally feeling better, but the fatigue won't go away. I drag myself through each day like I'm dragging a 2 ton stone by chains wrapped around my shoulders. I spent the majority of our four-day holiday weekend on the couch watching old movies.
Queen Teen was wonderful. Being out of school on a weekend is bad enough, but being out of school for four whole days with nothing to do and a sick mom is intolerable. The boredom was epic. But she mustered her strength and tried hard to entertain herself, and also take care of me a little. She asked if I was warm enough and then straightened out my blanket. When I asked if she'd like to watch a movie she said she'd watch whatever I wanted; we settled on a Tinker Bell marathon. She even tried cleaning the kitchen counters for me. The whining about boredom only started monday late morning, which is a new world record for her. It shows how much she's growing up; she's starting to think about other people and what she can do for them, instead of always focusing on her own needs. I'm proud of her.
We did manage to get out every day, driving to Starbucks for hot chocolate, going to the Farmer's Market, and buying new clothes for a friend's baby. We also bought 2 new blueberry bushes for the birds (they'll probably eat them before we get a chance). Overall, not a bad weekend, just not exactly what either of us had planned.
Now here I sit, thinking about the last few weeks because I realize I haven't been posting very much. I'm amazed at how fast the time roars past before I have a moment to catch my breath, let alone stop and write. Teaching is stressful I've discovered. Added to my already stressful world it's a bit overwhelming. I've only been a teacher for 6 months, so I think in time I'll get the hang of it. Or not. There are teachers I work with who've been there 20 years and still feel overwhelmed by the needs of their students sometimes. Maybe this constant race of deadlines and lesson plans and assessments is just part of the game. Perhaps the key is to run it like a marathon, pacing yourself and taking care of your body and not worrying so much about how many miles you still have to go.
All I know is my body is screaming for a rest, so right now I can milk this illness for a few more hours on the couch with an old movie blaring Big Band music. Tomorrow I have to go back to work, but tonight, I can fall asleep on this big comfy couch to the flicker of a black and white "talky".
Sometimes being sick isn't so bad.
Remember the job, the kid, the house, the dog... Remember the groceries, bills, laundry, SSI forms and IHSS forms. Remember it's spring and it hasn't rained and the yard needs a drink and the worms have outgrown their bin and the weeds are choking the berries. Remember the kid on the coast has an IEP and the one up north needs a new walker and the one in town has an important meeting and the other one wants to do an art project and the littlest one likes to pull your hair. Remember Queen Teen has homework and she learned new signs and you need to learn them too. Remember she'll have more blood work soon so remember to plan how that will happen. Remember to eat.
Eat?
Oh right, eat...
Remember to take vitamins and get rest. Remember all of this, or else.
Or else?
And then I got sick. Big surprise.
Last week I woke up nauseous and chilled with a low grade fever and body aches. I'm finally feeling better, but the fatigue won't go away. I drag myself through each day like I'm dragging a 2 ton stone by chains wrapped around my shoulders. I spent the majority of our four-day holiday weekend on the couch watching old movies.
Queen Teen was wonderful. Being out of school on a weekend is bad enough, but being out of school for four whole days with nothing to do and a sick mom is intolerable. The boredom was epic. But she mustered her strength and tried hard to entertain herself, and also take care of me a little. She asked if I was warm enough and then straightened out my blanket. When I asked if she'd like to watch a movie she said she'd watch whatever I wanted; we settled on a Tinker Bell marathon. She even tried cleaning the kitchen counters for me. The whining about boredom only started monday late morning, which is a new world record for her. It shows how much she's growing up; she's starting to think about other people and what she can do for them, instead of always focusing on her own needs. I'm proud of her.
We did manage to get out every day, driving to Starbucks for hot chocolate, going to the Farmer's Market, and buying new clothes for a friend's baby. We also bought 2 new blueberry bushes for the birds (they'll probably eat them before we get a chance). Overall, not a bad weekend, just not exactly what either of us had planned.
Now here I sit, thinking about the last few weeks because I realize I haven't been posting very much. I'm amazed at how fast the time roars past before I have a moment to catch my breath, let alone stop and write. Teaching is stressful I've discovered. Added to my already stressful world it's a bit overwhelming. I've only been a teacher for 6 months, so I think in time I'll get the hang of it. Or not. There are teachers I work with who've been there 20 years and still feel overwhelmed by the needs of their students sometimes. Maybe this constant race of deadlines and lesson plans and assessments is just part of the game. Perhaps the key is to run it like a marathon, pacing yourself and taking care of your body and not worrying so much about how many miles you still have to go.
All I know is my body is screaming for a rest, so right now I can milk this illness for a few more hours on the couch with an old movie blaring Big Band music. Tomorrow I have to go back to work, but tonight, I can fall asleep on this big comfy couch to the flicker of a black and white "talky".
Sometimes being sick isn't so bad.
2 comments:
Ugh. Sorry you've been sick. :(
It definitely sounds like Queen Teen is growing up! It's amazing when they start taking other people into consideration, and it is almost breathtaking when it happens. Be still my heart. :)
Hope you're feeling better!
I hope you start to feel better soon - being sick is definitely no fun at all. I hope you enjoy your old movies while you're down - at least there is one little bright side to being sick! :)
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