So I was spending the entire week two weeks ago being horribly miserably sick *insert over-inflated self pity here*, and then the next week, which was actually last week, planning my big comeback post after not writing a whole week and guess what happened? Nothing. Nothing happened. No post and no shoes. (That’s a common saying in my family, its origins lost in the mists of time). And you know why? Because I SUCK.

If you, patient reader, were a vegetable, say a radish, and I was the gardner in charge of taking care of you, you would have probably died. That’s why in our house A. is in charge of the plants. The kids tend to be very loud when not fed, so I manage not to forget them.

Miserably sick as I was, (self-pity, have I mentioned? It’s my new hobby. Sexy no?) I have to admit that a week of lying down and doing nothing while other people took care of my kids was the best vacation I had in the last four years. (Omigod, how sad is that?) Sure the food sucked and the weather sucked even worse (and by weather, I mean alternating shivering and sweating), but I had an entire week to myself. A whole week (okay, four days) when no one wanted anything from me, when I had to do absolutely nothing for someone else.

In a sense it was even better than a real vacation. I didn’t need to make reservations, didn’t need to have the nightly argument discussion with A. over where we’re going to go for dinner. It was just me and my duvet doing our thing.

(That was a remarkable piece of self-deception, don’t you think? Barcelona? Berlin? Who needs them? I’ve got chicken noodle soup and 103 fever!)

Jokes aside, the best outcome of the sick week was the sense of refreshment and the renewed patience I gained during it. As if someone pushed the restart button on me, and all the petty little grievances and annoyances were purged from me along with the fever. I wish I could be the mom I was last week every week of the year, but I’m too realistic to believe that. One of the biggest challenges is that ability to put yourself aside and not take out on your kids what you’re feeling, and it gets so much easier if you give yourself a break now and then.

Next vacation will be a real one, though.

UPDATE: I just noticed I forgot to credit the picture-taker, shame on me. The beautiful, taste-bud-stimulating picture was taken by Jen. Sorry, Jen!

sick, vacation