Saturday, November 9, 2013

The World Doesn't Stop Just Because I Do

This week I've been sick.  So sick that I missed an entire week of work and I even missed the football game on Friday night.  For me, that’s BIG. Before this game, I had only missed three games in sixteen years. So coming to the decision to miss in order to stay home and get well was huge for me.  If it hadn't been for the Twitter account that gives play by play on the game, I might have been tempted to stand in the cold and in the rain to see the game.

Sunday I knew I was sick and I could tell it wasn't just going to be a get over it in a day kind of thing. I had been working all weekend and on my way home I stopped by the grocery store and the drug store and stocked up on everything I knew I’d need for the week.  When I got home I immediately crashed.  When my coach came home he was scared when I opened my mouth and a man’s voice came out.  He declared that I was truly sick. On Monday I crawled out of bed long enough to take his game clothes to the cleaners and to go to do the doctor.  I texted my boss, turned on my out of office on my email and went back to bed and have remained there all week.

I grew up as an only child and I've found over the years that it has been great training to be the wife of the coach. I’m used to doing things on my own and being pretty independent. I can take care of any household catastrophe, deal with car issues and manage all of the day to activities on my own. I can do it all by myself if that’s what needed. I’m great at being independent to a point. That point comes when I’m sick. Then I like to have someone there take care of me, check on me, make sure that I have something to eat and drink.  But, as the wife of the coach and it’s during season, I've learned to either suck it up or do without that someone or to call my mother. This week I did a little of both.  I was independent for a few days but when my mother called and offered to bring dinner, I didn't hesitate in accepting her offer. She makes a great meatloaf that I’m sure can cure just about anything.  At least it does for me.

Although I've been in bed all week, the world didn't stop turning.  Knowing I was going to be sick for more than a day I thought I had planned accordingly and taken care of most of the important tasks for the week.  Even with good intentions, the laundry kept coming, dinners still needed to be made and the day to day tasks just didn't stop.  I had pretty much ignored all of this till yesterday morning when the phone rang. On the other end was my coach who was already at school. He was asking where his game pants were. I coughed and gasped all at the same time and remembered that I hadn't picked them up from the cleaners.  The world had gone on while I had stopped.

I crawled out of bed and threw on my lovely sweats and quickly drove to the cleaners and picked up his game pants. I know better than to go anywhere when I’m barely dressed and look like a mess. I was hoping to slip up to the field house and have my coach run out and meet me at the car.  What I forgot was that it was early enough that I was going to get caught in the carpool lane at school and manage to run into every student and coach I know while trying to give my coach his pants. I smiled and waved and tried to keep my head down. I’m sure there were several comments of “What’s wrong with Mrs. Coach?”  I handed my coach his pants and wished him good luck in the game and then went home and back to bed where I remained until this morning.

It’s been six days now and it’s time to join reality again and the real world. There’s laundry to do and grocery shopping to be done and oh yes, the pants must go back to the cleaners for another week.  Let’s hope I remember to pick them up before Friday.

Cheering you on,
Laurel



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