Common Cold: A Calling Card from the Universe

I abhor being sick. I don't care for the feelings of powerlessness or lack of control that comes with any sickness. While I don't get sick too often (no more than once a month), and I rarely become seriously ill ([knock wood] I've never had the flu or missed more than one day of work for sickness, and even then it was a day I went home early), I don't particularly care for any down time from illness. I see the common cold as the wuss of all diseases. You are nowhere near your deathbed. People rarely have any sympathy for you because the virus will run its course in short order, yet they don't want to get anywhere near you for fear of catching it. What I personally despise about a cold is the congestion. I have issues with breathing, and anything that impedes my already sub-par breathing abilities just becomes a major thorn in my side.

Wait, isn't this supposed to be a gratitude blog? I'm getting to that. As my older brother used to say, "first worst, best last." Sometimes I find it easier to find the silver lining if I get all the "doom and gloom" thoughts out of the way. So, what could be the upswing of a wussy yet ostracizing cold?

Every once in a while I actually take a step back and ask myself just that question. After much deliberation, I figured out that sometimes a cold is my body's way of telling me that I need to relax. I don't mean vegging on the couch or playing games all day. I mean actually resting. When we get sick, be it from a simple cold or from a more serious illness, one of the greatest demands our bodies make on us is for SLEEP. Our bodies actually get a lot of maintenance and repair work done while we sleep, which is why it is so essential for mental and physical health. The more stress we experience, the harder we push ourselves, the more likely we are going to get sick. This isn't just rhetoric, there are actual medical and psychological studies showing a very strong relationship between stress, socialization, and illness. There is even a whole field of psychology--psychoneuroimmunology--dedicated to studying the link between mental health and physiological health.

In my moments of insightful wisdom, I realize that I often get a weak cold when I have more on my proverbial plate that I can intelligently handle at the time. The sickness generates a mindset of "it can wait" and I put off everything for a day or two while I get some apparently much-needed sleep. I do not completely shut down, but I do step back significantly. I pull out my Plan B so that I can feel like I accomplish something during my work day (I teach, so this is usually pretty easy for me to do) and I slip into organizing mode. True, dishes may pile up and the laundry might get pushed off for another day while I am napping. However, once I feel better, once I regain my physical AND mental energy, I can quickly catch up on things with a History Channel or psychological crime drama (Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU are great) marathon in the evenings or on a weekend. I watch a lot of History Channel while doing chores; that's what fills about a quarter of my Tivo. Of course, I would not be able to do this if it weren't for the support of my husband. After 11 years of marriage we have learned a lot about quietly adapting to each other. We are lucky enough that we usually do not get sick or stressed at the same time. Sometimes there is a day or two of overlap, but we often stumble our way through with relative ease.

So, the next time you get a cold, it might just be the universe (or at least your body) telling you that it's time to take a little break.

Standardized Testing

I know many people view testing, especially standardized testing, with much trepidation, fear, dread, horror, and/or disdain. I have always seen it in a different light.

As a tester, I loved taking standardized tests. This was the one time I could be in a truly quiet and focused classroom. I enjoyed the opportunity to answer challenging questions at my own pace with very few distractions from other individuals who were not on the same motivational plane as I. Honestly, I always came out of any standardized test (SAT, NEDT, Iowa, etc.) the same way I now come out of a meditation session: refreshed, relaxed, with renewed focus. I never suffered from test anxiety on standardized tests. I was leery of course tests, though.

As an instructor, standardized testing provides me with a break from the all-too-often discouraging prospect of trying to enlighten students who are in my class forcibly (not by choice). It gets tedious and depressing to see students day after day sleeping, playing on cell phones, reading, or talking while I am trying to pass on knowledge. It's insulting and hurtful. BUT, this blog is about positives, so let's go back to that. As an instructor of a college course at a high school, I fit nicely into the loop hole so that I don't actually have to deal directly with the standardized testing environment. I don't have to pace the room in near-boredom, watch-dogging students to ensure they are on task and not cheating somehow. I get a relaxed schedule and a "free day" this year.

As a parent, I get to encourage my child and give her the stress inoculation tools that I try to instill in my students. I have found that the more confidence I have in her, the more confidence she has in herself. That is exceedingly rewarding and heart-warming. In addition, she does not have homework to bring home, so that's one less "fight" or "tooth-pulling" session to worry about.

Fuzzy Blankets

I am an unashamed wuss when it comes to cold. I have poor circulation in my hands and feet and everything slows down for me when I'm too frosty. All I really want to do at times like these is sleep. The best comfort for me in the chillier months is not a cup of hot cocoa (love the stuff I got from Costa Rica!) or spice tea, but a warm fuzzy blanket. If I had my way, I would cuddle under the blanket my dad got us for Christmas a few years back from sunset to sunrise, only coming out when the sun finally decided to get to work. Of course, no one can always have their way; we must slog through some of the less comfortable moments of the year to fulfill our obligations to society. That makes the warm fuzzy blanket waiting for you at home that much more special.

The Printed Word

I am grateful for the printed word. I know that billions of people now have access to information at any second during the day thanks to the Internet. I know that print may seem dead with all of the constant updating of digital information. Perhaps because of all of the bombardment of constant data streams we are inundated with, I find myself more and more appreciative of books. Oftentimes I read books (mostly science fiction or fantasy) that have been around for quite a while. The titles are no longer in vogue, their popularity and streamed Internet and TV headlines have long since been buried by the latest scandal or political upheaval or natural disaster. Some of them, like any of J.R.R. Tolkien's works, have been threaded in and out of society's consciousness throughout the decades. Thanks to print, however, any bound tome can patiently bide its time in a book store or on a library shelf, waiting for a new generation to "suddenly discover" it.

It is true that I am most often not up to speed on any trend whatsoever--being an extreme introvert often leads to this side effect.The great part about reading for your own enjoyment of the story itself is that you don't have to worry about popularity or being up to speed.Each new tome, especially those exceptionally well-written, provides hours of enjoyment and the sensation that I just unlocked an invaluable treasure.

The other great thing about print is it allows the works of great--though now passed--authors to be rediscovered and shared with a whole new generation that may not have had the opportunity to meet with the creative genius behind the words, but who can still enjoy them nonetheless. Prime examples of recently deceased word smiths, and some of my favorite authors, include Robert Jordan and Michael Crichton. And while they are not as recently passed, creators such as the fore-mentioned Tolkien, Frank Herbert, and Robert Louis Stevenson can still be captivating in the works they left behind for as many generations who choose to seek them out.

So, while the constant, in your face, up to the millisecond world we live in may try to convince you that you have to be in the there and then (here and now is SOOO 5 seconds ago!), I will continue to find a retreat in seemingly forgotten, though never truly obliterated works, rediscovering them at my own pace and enjoying them as I would like to think the authors would appreciate.

Bath Time

I am not only thankful for bath time in general, but also for the large bath I have in our master bedroom. My daughter is growing at a rapid pace (she's 8 and already past 4'3"), so anything that allows her to still play like other little, smaller, kids is a boon. Bath time in our house means I can walk away from her for half an hour while she plays in the water. This gives me some relaxing down time during an hour when I am still conscious, before the caffeine wears off and cares of the day pull me down. When she gets bored, I scrub her down and wash her hair thoroughly. By the time we're finished it's off to bed. I can sometimes get in a story or a song while I'm scrubbing or drying. Then it's easier to tuck her in. She's clean, warm, happy, and ready for dream land. And I'm more relaxed and ready for another hour or two of productivity--grading papers, doing dishes, catching up on TV or crafts, etc.