Friday, February 18, 2011

when sneezing is a blessing in disguise


Gripe keldi ("greep"). The flu has come. Ben, me, almost Will, hopefully not James... one by one we're falling prey to itchy-sneezy-scratchy-throat-drippy-nose-miserable-stuffy February colds.

Today was a stay-at-home-watch-lots-of-TV day, and I thought I'd feel depressed and out of sorts all day. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised. My body being subdued and quiet, I let myself take a day off from laundry, dishes, cooking, tidying up... and I realized how much rest there is in just sitting quietly and playing with my boys. Setting myself free to enjoy them. Eating Cups-of-Soup and toast for lunch, thawing lasagna for dinner, watching kids programs and playing with trains.

Sometimes our bodies and our souls just need a day off. A day to sleep in late, take long naps, leave the chores til tomorrow (they'll still be there-- what's the rush?). And that's when we reconnect with time itself, the flow of it, the fact that in the grand scheme of things one 24-hour day is not really that important (in the laundry sense), and at the same time is vitally important in the don't-miss-a-moment-of-your-kids-growing-up sense.



When I flipped open my computer just now, there was a post quietly slipped into my inbox. Reading it, I felt my soul relax. The remnants of guilt for my sink full of dishes and my laundry basket piled high dissolved away. I read about big boys who once were little like mine, about time being a river, about learning how to slow down and attend to each moment. And the two little "flashing instants" I am mothering are metamorphosing before my eyes...


So I'm thankful, actually, for my sneezing, itchy throat and stuffy nose--

they strongly urged me to take the day off to pay attention.




Other links I've enjoyed lately:

If you're feeling like quitting... come and read this and be encouraged.

For more encouragement to play... read this and be inspired.

1 comment:

  1. Hi. I love you. Sorry you're not feeling well!

    ReplyDelete