This morning I awoke to the rush of my husband’s footsteps as he dashed to the basement to see why we had no water pressure. He got as far as the light switch when he realized the issue was a lack of power. The ice storm caused a power outage in the neighbourhood. He escaped to work and the kids and I took the opportunity to sleep in. The power came back on mid-morning. Yay, power! Out here where we live, that means flushing toilets! It also meant coffee!
I also awoke with a migraine. Tonight I felt really horrible. Nothing would make the hammering pain in my head go away. My ice pack had thawed twice. The tylenol I didn’t want to take did nothing. My other medicines were making me nauseated. I had no energy to do anything and trying to sleep just felt painful.
I was lying there for hours and then I decided I’d make some tea. Once downstairs I thought I’d enjoy the lights of the Christmas tree. It’s still up because I haven’t had the energy to take it down. I had just enough energy today to make the kids lunch and a Swirlio (ice cream out of nothing but frozen fruit). So, now I’m on the couch enjoying my tree even though the festivities are winding down. I was too lazy to wait for the tea to boil so I’m having a V8 instead. A small cheat in my diet as I’m not supposed to have tomatoes (nightshades). I took my chlorella pills and I’m hopeful that sleep might come to me soon. For the first time today, my headache is aching less.
Today I had hoped to get a few chores done and to play a couple games with the kids. They got a cool Lego toy I wanted to build with both of them. Luckily, they were in a good mood and played together nicely without me. I spent most of the day in bed while they chatted with me before disappearing to play another game with rules that only they understood. I was supposed to go out for dinner with a friend but the weather worsened (I didn’t think it could!) and it was better that way because I would not have been good company!
While I was lying in bed I was thinking about my “to-do” lists. My council work, my design work, my house work, and my personal work. At this moment I don’t know how I’ll get back to my council work. I can’t even wrap my head around the things I need to tackle. Right now reading a recipe feels like learning a new language. Simple emails feel complex. My design work I’ll worry about next week. My house work, oh dear, my housework. That is a never-ending story. My personal work… I’m itching to get started on One Little Word, to paint something, or to digitally scrapbook a page (I’m not up to making a paper one). I can’t decide what word to choose to work on for 2017. I thought about “heal” but am also considering “rest” or “pause”. I just don’t know. Too hard to think about.
Oh, and I really really really want to take a bus to the Women’s March on Washington in a few weeks. A group from Ottawa is traveling down to the march and coming right back afterward. Since I find making lunch to be a completely energy depleting task, I’ve decided I’m probably not up for the trip. I hope the March is a success. There is so much that needs to be done.
I think I’ll try that sleeping thing again. Nighters!
Melanie Ritchie 