I never call in sick to work, but on Tuesday I did. My ear had been bothering me since Friday, but I didn’t notice it too much over the weekend. I spent probably 4-5 hours in the sun on Sunday and also enjoyed the pool. Well that caught up with me as on Monday I just felt hot all day and my ear started to bother me more. However I did have a fantastic lunch out and cupcake for dessert for my manager’s birthday, which definitely made me forget about my ear hurting for a moment or two.
I figured I needed to get it checked out especially with a weekend vacation coming up. I found a Rite Aid clinic to go to after work on Monday and learned I had a 100.5 degree fever and an ear infection in my right ear. By the time I paced around Rite Aid buying Ibuprofen and some chocolate (because chocolate makes things better) and got my medicine, I didn’t get home until about 7:30 pm. My throat was dry, my appetite pretty much non existent, but I knew I couldn’t wait until the morning to take my medicine and needed to take it with food. I had some lemonade coconut water in the fridge and used 1 cup of that and probably around a cup of frozen mango and blended it. That smoothie was super satisfying! Of course some chocolate after to wash down the pills.
I was very glad that I let my body rest on Monday. Although I did reach my 10K steps for the day thanks to my commute and all the walking I do, I had decided to skip the gym on Monday morning as my shoulders have been sore and I needed my sleep because I got to bed late on Sunday night. I work out pretty much daily, whether it’s a few youtube videos, lots of walking or going to the gym. While it is hard to think about missing a day, I also feel like I do come back stronger.
Tuesday morning I felt slightly better from the medicine but anxiously waited until I could take the next pill as I have to take one every 12 hours for 10 days. My ears weren’t hurting as bad, but still had a popping feeling. I was able to video chat with my sister who is currently home in bed. The reason for my being up a little later on Sunday night was learning that my sister was hit by a car and in the hospital. She has a broken ankle and scraped up badly on the other leg, but amazingly her leg isn’t broken after being run over. She started to cross the street when it wasn’t green and slipped due to rain, getting one leg under the car that was coming. She had stopped when she saw the car, but unfortunately slipped. It really could have been much worse and she is lucky but the rest of her summer she will be pretty much spent in bed. I just ordered her some adult coloring books as she needs things to do when she is stuck in bed for now. It was nice to have some face time with her even with my struggling bit of internet. Please send prays for her to recover quickly!
After hearing about her accident, I really thought about my body, what it gives me and how my legs carry me to work and help me explore. I get antsy sitting at a desk on a day to day basis and I was pretty much on the couch or sitting at my desk on my sick day, but I was thankful that I could get up and right now my sister is struggling with even that. It really is important to be grateful for the little things.
Remember, you only have one body and you need to care for it. I push myself to do a workout even when I am sore. Normally, I push myself to go to work even when I don’t feel well, but how does that help me? It drains the little energy I have and takes longer to recover and that’s why, this time, I took the day off. Sometimes a day of rest is just what you need. I have also noticed since yoga teacher training and reading BodyPeace, how beneficial it is to step back and listen to what your body needs.
This weekend I did just that, with listening to my body. I did yoga both on Saturday and Sunday and it felt AMAZING! My body needed the stretching, the flow and the strength that yoga gives to me. Sunday evening while watching TV, I was laying on the floor with my yoga blocks and strap and doing stretches, which was much better than laying on the couch falling asleep (at least for that night).
After taking a break from working out Monday and resting all day Tuesday, my body is feeling less sore and almost ready to go, but still taking it easy. By the end of Wednesday I was beginning to feel more like my normal self. Saving my energy for this weekend though as I head to Glow Retreat. Have a fabulous weekend!!
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That’s really scary about your sister! I’m glad that she’s ok though. And isn’t it crazy how it often takes something like that to make us realize how much our bodies do for us? And how lucky we are to be healthy? We do only have one body, and we really do need to take care of it because without health, nothing else really matter.
Glad to hear your sister is okay! I realized how much my body can do once I had my son – the fact that as women our bodies can literally make another human is absolutely mind blowing.
It really is mind blowing. I look forward to having kids some day.
So scary about your sister! I’m so glad she’s ok and I’m glad you got medicine and are feeling better! Being sick is never fun, and taking time off of the gym won’t hurt you!
Yes it was good to have some time off. I can’t remember the last time I even had a fever! At least I was feeling well enough for my long weekend vacation right after and now getting back to my daily workouts again, coming back stronger too 🙂