Sniffle

The girls and I are fighting colds. (Keith never seems to be sick -- would that we all had his immune system). Nothing really serious . . . runny noses, stuffy heads, minor sore throats, a few coughs, general lethargy. Put that together with the cold, wet, foggy and unbearably DREARY weather out, and we're having a hard time motivating ourselves to keep going today. And (although it may just be rationalization on my part) I'm wondering why we bother.

I remember my first appointment with my beloved ObGyn, Dr. Benson, when I was pregnant with Leslie. He gave me some sage advice that I have harbored in my heart ever since. He told me, "Now, this is very important. If you feel hungry, it's because your body needs food. So eat something. If you feel tired, it's because your body needs rest. So lie down."

In other words, my body will tell me what it needs! What a concept!

What is it that doctors tell people to do when they have a cold? Drink plenty of liquids and get lots of rest. Now, how many people do you know who actually rest when they have a cold? I know none, including myself (despite Dr. Benson's sage advice harbored in my heart).

When we have colds, we continue pushing ourselves to do everything we do when we're healthy. "It's JUST a cold," we tell ourselves. We see it as a sign of weakness, or laziness, if we slack off at all on our daily output. We keep cooking -- despite the germs coursing through our bodies. We continue to drive -- despite the droopy eyelids and lack of concentration that puts our fellow drivers at risk. We go to work, and meetings, and ball games, and everything else that's on our schedule -- despite the fact that we are spreading our germs wherever we go. After all, it's JUST a cold. And we're not wimps. We're tough. Woot, woot. Cough, cough.

Who knows -- maybe if we actually followed the doctor's advice, our colds would go away sooner and we'd be back to our productive selves. Instead, we prolong the recovery process and accept the poor output we produce in the meantime.

I'm remembering a blog I wrote earlier . . . about productivity becoming an idol. Why do I let my to-do list become more important than my own health? Or my daughters'? Honestly? Because I don't want other people to think I'm a lazy wimp. Harumph.

So, we're doing school today, and going to voice lessons, and cleaning, and doing errands, and going to small group tonight. Because I'm an approval junkie. Sorry, Dr. Benson.