The Sickness Season

How many of you know someone who is sick right now? I would not be surprised at all if most of you do. As a teacher, I've had students call off of class due to illness. I've heard of kids at my daughter's school who have been sick lately. My niece is sick this week. It goes on and on. . . In fact, my family and I were very sick recently. It started the evening of the Bizzardastrophe. Kate was throwing up and having constant diarrhea for 4 days before she started to dehydrate. I had to stay up all night with her making sure she drank 8 oz of 1/2 Gatorade and 1/2 water every 4 hours before she finally started getting over the dehydration. And my reward? My husband and I proceeded to have the stomach flu for the next several days. UGH!

Isn't it interesting how sickness can make everything seem like it is falling apart? My house was a mess. I was missing work. Jeff was missing work. Kate was missing school. Nothing was getting done. It was like our life came to a total standstill until we could get well. In a life that doesn't stop long enough for us to catch our breath at times, sickness comes and gives us. . . TIME. Sometimes sickness makes us do what we normally won't do - STOP AND REST. I think it is entirely possible that God blesses us with a bout of this or that so we give ourselves permission to slow down.

It seems contradictory to view sickness as a blessing. I often write about how my chronic back pain has been a gift. But, what if we could give ourselves the gift of time and rest without getting sick? What if we decided to relax when we're healthy? Then, we wouldn't need sickness to make us relax, right? We could enjoy the present in a much more positive way. When we get well after being sick, it is amazing how we intensely appreciate the little things like getting to go outside, even being able to go to work. Maybe, we should appreciate these things in a similary manner when we are healthy. Just something to think about. . .

Forgetting the Pain

There are times when I'm blessed with the opportunity to forget the pain even if its only for a brief period. When I'm deep into my work, for example, I can really forget or at least lose the awareness that my tale bone is hurting. Its almost like I fall into a trance of deep focus and I can't even feel the pain. What usually happens is that I stand up after a long stretch of sitting in front of the computer and just like that, I can feel the pain again. But, the blessing of forgetfulness is not lost on me. I've learned that if I can get my mind off the pain and focused on something positive, I can get that kind of relief from the pain.

I've recently been blessed with new work. I'm working part time as an adjunct faculty member at Ivy Tech in Valparaiso teaching an Intro to Sociology course. I'm also working 3 days a week for Legacy Environmental Services at the Purdue Technology Center in Crown Point. And I continue to be part of the Leadership Northwest Indiana program. All of these areas of my work are meaningful and rewarding to me. I no longer have many of the previous work stresses that drained me. I wouldn't say that my back pain has gotten better as a result of my new work situation, but it certainly hasn't gotten worse.

I'm enjoying my work life for the first time in a while. I've always had a rewarding family life, but I haven't always been blessed with rewarding work. Meaningful work and a positive work environment can make all the difference in your life. Ask someone who has a miserable job? They'll tell you the difference it makes! My new work environments and activities have helped me to focus on the present and let go of the pain even if its only for a little while.

Many of our biggest blessings come and go quickly. That is why it is so important to enjoy your blessings while you have them. They're not promised to you forever and you will miss them when they are gone. I can't begin to tell you how much I miss taking for granted living without pain. [Note: The picture with this post is one of those moments that come and go so quickly - my 4 year old beauty running on the beach!]