The
old saying dictates that moms can’t get sick.
It’s with good reason. Things
fall apart. Everyone suffers. Even- especially- the moms, who have even
more work to do once they are healthy again.
When I became a mom and realized just how vital my role was, I took the
saying that moms can’t get sick one step further and started to tell myself:
moms don’t get sick. I can’t
get sick, therefore I won’t get
sick. Mind over matter. For the most part, this does work. If I feel a cold coming on, I drink more
liquids and take Zicam religiously. I do
not let myself believe that I am getting sick.
Most of the time I do not get sick.
Last
Friday I had an exceptionally busy day.
I had been cooking up a storm the entire week and Friday was the last
day of cooking before three straight days of entertaining large crowds. It was also the day I sliced the place where
my right index finger meets my palm on a tin can. My first thought was that I did not have time
to seek medical attention. I wrapped
that finger in paper towel after paper towel until it finally stopped bleeding
45 minutes later. In the meantime I
continued prepping food with my left hand, washed a bunch of dishes, and drove
the afternoon carpool. Mind over
matter.
Once
in a while this mantra does not work, and I am forced to succumb to sickness. Sometimes these bad situations have a silver
lining. A few months ago I was stricken
with a stomach virus. I was
bed-ridden. I ate nothing for four
straight days. I drank only a cocktail
of gingerale and powerade. Once
everyone, including myself, accepted the fact that I was very sick, we all fell
into a makeshift routine. My sister came
to help one afternoon. Shimmy came home
earlier than usual and took care of the kids.
I did what I could, which was nurse the baby, drive carpool when there
were no other options, and sit on the porch steps of a friend, who was
afflicted with the same plague, while we watched our kids play with bubbles
pour bubble solution on the ground, each other, and themselves. It sounds horrible, right? And it was.
Except for the part where I was bed-ridden, couldn’t do anything, and couldn’t
eat. I watched the entire first season
of Downtown Abbey (OMG IT’S THE BEST SHOW EVER). I got a well-deserved break from my 24/7 mom
job. And I lost three pounds, which I
have successfully kept off! In some ways
it was a best week ever.
A
few weeks ago something similar happened.
I had had a migraine for close to a week straight. My doctor suggested I try a new strategy
which was to take my prescription meds + an OTC pain reliever. I didn’t have that particular pain
reliever at home, so I left Shimmy in charge, and headed to the store. There was road work being done, so it took an
extra long time to get there. Once I had
bought the pain reliever, I also decided to treat myself to some dark
chocolate-covered almonds. I headed back
to my car to sit and eat my snack and take my pills. Then I decided to pop into the wine store to
stock up for the weekend. They happened
to be having an in-store wine tasting, so I sat down and had a nice time
tasting wines and talking to the staff.
I headed home, my migraine mitigated, and my spirits lifted. A day that began in excruciating pain ended
up becoming a delightful afternoon of me time.
So,
while it is true that moms can’t get sick, and shouldn’t get sick; sometimes
they do. And when they do, they should
milk it for all it’s worth. Because,
before they know it, the jig will be up and they’ll have to get out of bed to
start the 20 loads of laundry and two sinks full of dirty dishes that await
them.
