The Stomach Flu Blues and Other Thoughts

Though it may seem as though I've abandoned blogging, I really haven't. It's just been so busy. The events of the last several days are as follows:

On Saturday morning, I walked the 5K Arthritis walk. I am not ashamed to admit that I came in dead last (no kidding, the sweeper was following me), but I made it. 56:47 was my time; thanks to Pam for slowing down for me so that I had someone to walk with. The whole event made me realize that if I can all of the sudden walk 3.1 miles, I can at least fit in 20 minutes a day and work up to more.

On Sunday, I was stuck on the couch with a miserable cold, but by Monday was feeling quite a bit better. . . until Tuesday. I went to bed about 9:00pm, and woke up at 11:30pm with the worst case of the stomach flu I've had in years. It was even worse than when Craig went to WCHA last March, when I had to get an IV for dehydration. The symptoms (I'll spare you the details) finally subsided by about 7:00am, but I was so weak that it was all I could do just to take sips of water.

Luckily, Murray and Craig haven't shown any signs, and I am praying (and disinfecting) with all my heart that they both remain healthy.

I woke up this morning to the scent of turkey roasting, which made me feel a little ill, but I survived. Turkey in the morning, you ask? Craig had a pot luck at work and made his famous shredded turkey in the roaster, so it was cooking all night. Anyway, my sleep-deprived thoughts started with thinking about how there are so many people who never get to smell the heavenly aroma of warm food cooking in their own homes. Then I was listened to the forecast, which got me thinking of the homeless population in our community. You don't always see them, but they are out there, trying to survive. Not only during the holidays do they suffer, but 365 days a year. All day long I've been plotting of something that I can do to help. Yes, we have our favorite charities that we donate to, but something is pulling at me to really reach out more than ever this year. I have decided what I will do, and hope that I will follow through. I don't think I will share this with you, dear readers, because in my mind, giving of the alms is an act that you keep to yourself. It's not about the glory or being a hero, it's just about helping those in need. I'm no Mother Theresa, that is for sure, but I'm going to try extra hard this year to be just a bit more like her.

Murray is having a really rough time adjusting to his new room. The biggest problem, I think, is only one nap a day. He is so CRANKY by the time we get him home, that we usually put him down for an hour before supper. I suppose it will take some time to get into a routine. The good news is, I've decided to go back to working 9am-2pm, unless it's busy and they really need me. I can get my errands and housework done, and still spend extra time with Murray. I really do have the best of both worlds.

So, while I've missed blogging, here's to hoping I'm back.

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