Lent, Interrupted

I'll bet you think I up and scheduled a nice Sabbath rest, didn't you?

But noooooo. I did the other thing I mentioned, the one you get if you won't stop on your own, the forced rest. I got sick. And ended up with more than a day of rest.

I am definitely on the upswing now, but there went my Lenten discipline.

Sometimes when you're sick, you're able to read and write and rest and while you're uncomfortable, you can still think. Unfortunately, that was not the kind of sick I was. I was the kind of sick that kept all thought and reflection beyond immediate feelings at bay. My thoughts ran more along the line of "Can I move? Do I need to throw up again? If I lie this way, will my head stop pounding and my body stop aching? Why I am I so hot and so cold at the same time? Yep, I need to throw up again."

In the grand scheme of things, of course, this was a blip. People out there are suffering with serious medical conditions. I just had a nasty 24-hour stomach bug coupled with a 48-hour recovery. I'm going to be fine. I'm already pretty much fine. I moved from saltines and jello to mashed potatoes in 48 hours and today plan to eat something even more exciting: an omelet! And maybe a bowl of minestrone.

I had wonderful companions and nurses to care for me. The kitties of course made sure to sleep on me in whatever position I found most comfortable. And my husband, who was scheduled to drive back to Atlanta on Monday turned around after lunch and came back to stay with me an extra day.

But I didn't do a lot of reflection. Just bits and pieces of thoughts popped up from time to time.

I did keep reading the SSJE essays. I just couldn't much respond. I hope to get back to responding soon.

Meanwhile, here's a shot a my nurses hard at work:









Comments

Perpetua said…
Sometimes acceptance is the lesson we need to learn, Penny. I do hope you're feeling much better now.
Thanks, Perpetua. You are right. It's a lesson I don't much like sometimes. Especially the "things take longer to heal when you're older" one. I am definitely much better now, though.