Over Christmas break I found myself doing what everyone should do over Christmas break: watching Home Alone.
Except this wasn’t just any version of Home Alone. This was the version where little comment bubbles pop up and explain from a medical perspective what the two robbers’ injuries would’ve actually looked like as they tried to break into Kevin’s house. When I was little, it made sense that they would just keep going after one of them caught his head on fire, or the other fell down an entire flight of stairs. Now, that I’m older though, I greatly enjoyed seeing the medical insights of all these injuries. It gave the movie a whole new medical junkie vibe.
As funny as this movie is, I’m realizing that sometimes I believe my body is as invincible as those two robbers. To be fair, I take good care of my body. I enjoy working out and eating healthy, although its always balanced with a dessert. For these reasons, on any regular day, I feel strong. Combine all this with some espresso and I’m ready to take on the world. Or at least my day-job and toddler-child, which, trust me, are enough.
Truly, I couldn’t have started 2020 off on a better note.
I know I said in THIS blog post I was keeping goals simple, but on January 1 I got out my beautiful Michael Hyatt planner (which was a gift from my Hope*writers course) and wrote out 4 very detailed SMART goals. Just like my planner asked I designated rewards for when I reach each of them, and outlined in detail what I will need to do to accomplish them.
Truly, I was rocking all of this until last Friday. That’s when it fell apart. A friend an I had just come back from lunch break at Rise conference when I noticed that I wasn’t feeling so hot. In fact, I was cold, really, really cold. In addition, everything was aching. It was so out of my norm, that it took me a moment to realize, “oh, theres a word for this feeling…it’s sick.”
I Don’t Get Sick!
I literally took one sick day for work last year, and it was because Ray was sick. I don’t get sick, y’all! But as the day went on, I pulled deeper and deeper under. Now, because I think my body is on the level of the robbers, I was in denial. Multiple people messaged me on Instagram saying my symptoms sounded like the flu. But instead of giving their comments credibility, I wondered why all my “friends” were speaking such horrible things over me.
Here’s the unfortunate thing about denial: it doesn’t actually keep things from being true.
So a few days later as I was still struggling to press on, at the persistent request of my husband we finally took a family trip to the urgent care. It didn’t take long to confirm, both Ray and I had flu. So with that diagnosis and a temp of 103, I decided I would take a sick day. “It would be good to get some laundry done anyhow,” I thought.
But the next day came, and no laundry was done. I hardly got up at all. Ray and I just laid in bed together watching kid moves on his IPAD, snoozing off and on. Cj ran to Panera bread to get me soup (Ray thinks soup is “yuck”), to Starbucks to get me a “Medicine Ball” (the tea drink you need when you’re sick) and to Chick-fil-a to get Ray chicken nuggets that he didn’t touch.
I secretly hoped that while we were down CJ would clean the whole house. It needed it. But he didn’t get my secret memo.
To my dismay, my beautiful goals went unchecked and our home turned into a mini frat house for a few days there. How had 2020 started off so wonderfully only to turn into disaster so quickly? Why flu and why me?
But here is what I quickly realized.
I could dwell in all my disappointment of having the flu right here at the beginning of the year, but that would only waste time. Instead, I’m choosing to see the flu this way: its just a reminder that there will be setbacks this year. And with every setback will come a way to get through it. The way though the flu is time, suffering and a few bottles of Ibprophen.
See, our bodies are actually nothing like the burglars on Home Alone. They demand to be listened to and attended to. They are susceptible to splinters, bruises and even the flu. I am finally *almost* over this whole flu ordeal. The laundry, the dirty house and all my work emails waited patiently. Well, some less patiently than others, but all the same they waited.
Here’s the most unfortunate kicker, this will not be the only setback I encounter this year. But I have one down. And when the next setback comes, my goal is to acknowledge it and give myself a little more grace for navigating it. Because as much as I hate them, setbacks are part of life, and they’re certainly part of achieving goals. Speaking of which, you may have noticed, despite the flu, I still got this post up on time. Whats up 2020?!
Until next week, cheers and I wish you health!