Sick Day
On Friday when I left work I was all set up to take this work-week by storm. I was going to get my "to-grade" box cleared out, finish up some required testing for a group of students, teach outstanding lessons, have by objectives up, finish a power point for the school, and do all of the little bits and pieces that make up the mammoth job of being a teacher.
And then I got sick. Aching, shivering, crawling into bed, no appetite, feverish sick. I had no choice... I had to get a substitute teacher.
As a teacher, it's very difficult to take a day off from work unexpectedly. You still have a classroom full of kiddos showing up the day you're out, an adult coming in that needs to pick up where you left off, and the guilt that maybe they're losing a day of instruction if your sub plans are not clear enough! I've had a last minute sub now for two days in a row because I got really, really sick. It's generally easier for me to just go in with a head cold or a touch of the flu than arrange for a sub but I rarely get sick any more - I've been teaching long enough that I really only get the very worst. That being stated, my personal rule is that if I have a fever I don't go in. I simply cannot manage the class while trying to manage my own health and well being.
Like many people, teachers in particular, I have a hard time sitting still. I hate sitting on the couch with an unfinished sewing project on my dining room table, a still full "to-grade" box at work, a bunch of kids who haven't been tested yet, and all sorts of other projects to work on that take too much brain power for me right now. You have to let yourself rest, though, if you can. And right now I have the privilege of being able to do that.
Here's what I've been up to (along with trying to to feel bad about not being at work...):
Watching Netflix on the Couch - I've been slightly obsessed with this Korean Drama called Boys Over Flowers. It's deliciously silly! I've also been watching re-runs of the Big Bang Theory. I contemplated starting Game of Thrones but I'm afraid that's a vortex I'll never get out of if I start.
Painting my Nails - When my husband came home yesterday he had brought Soup and Nail polish for me yesterday (he knows me well...). The color he picked was Ladylike by Essie. I don't usually sit still this long so it was a good time for me to paint my nails.
Catching up on Letters - I write several friends letters every month. I also try to send birthday cards out to people all at once towards the beginning of the month but hadn't yet done my birthday cards and I still owed someone a letter from the beginning of the Month. I got those finished and got to send out my new, personalized birthday cards that arrived in the mail on Monday from Paperless Post.
Sleep - This is probably the most important one. I've slept in, I've napped, I've ignored a million things, and I've let my body rest because it really needs it. I need to get out of the mindset where sleeping is a waste of time, especially when I'm sick because if I don't take care of myself...who will?
What sort of quiet things do you do when you're sick at home?
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Cheery things at home to make me feel better - a mug of tea, fresh flowers, April's ELLE magazine, and the TV remote!
