It’s Cold Outside

Mar 16

Written By Stacey

It’s one of the many joys of being a working woman...

Sometimes, we just don’t know when to stop.

All of the warning signals can be flashing at the same time and we just keep moving through them. And then, we get stopped.

Or, I did anyway.

I was moseying right along, doing what I always do…Until I started coughing.

About A MONTH ago.

I thought I had beat it until this past long four-day weekend when I had grand plans to draw and do some just-for-me calligraphy. But, my dreams of weekend warrior-ing came to a halt when my ongoing sore throat issues escalated to stuffy nose, runny nose, headache, muscle aches and pains and chills all over. Very unsavory symptoms. 🤧

Delaware weather just gets a mix of everything. We get scorching sun, snow storms and the occasional tornado. You can time a rain by when I get my hair done. But, this year, we didn’t get one, blessed snow day…and if you ask me, the wind is more upset about it than us! Blowing and howling all day and night. As my grandfather would say, “The hawk is out there!”

And, yet, I’ve still been working.

Let’s see…

I got my first re-up for my permanent license for teaching art in the State of Delaware.
I am in the midst of a transition process to adulthood for my young adult on the spectrum.
I am working with a non-profit to bring added learning into the classroom.
I am currently active on a children’s advocacy board.
I still work with clients on the side.
We have an annual exhibition coming up at school in May.

It’s a lot going on, to say the least.

It was certainly enough to make my immune system stage a hissy fit.

It makes me think…

Sometimes, I actually love putting the ‘S’ on my chest…and, sometimes, I just want to strip it all the way off and go sit down somewhere. 🥴

There’s this wonderful account called The Nap Ministry on IG that seeks to dismantle the effects of capitalism on our bodies and our psyche through the power of naps. While I believe there’s a season for everything under the sun, including work, I’ve loved the account for a long time. It gives balance to those of us who tend to be ‘on’ all the time or just have a lot of responsibilities…

Or just teachers, maybe…I don’t know. 😉

Either way, there’s some sound advice in that grid for those who need to come in from the cold of constant movement.

I mean, there’s a difference between consistent and constant…One’s closer to managing while the other is more akin to depleting. We don’t want that depleting stuff.

You sure can’t take care of all the things if you’re running on empty. Says to my inner self, “That’s a good point, Stacey.”