When You Just Can't

I spent the last five days moving through one of the worst colds I have ever had. It was brutal. I basically went from my bed to my couch for three days straight. Even letting my dogs into the back yard left me winded. I couldn’t talk on the phone without coughing. I am very lucky to be able bodied and healthy. I get colds but rarely do they take me out for more than a day or so. This was a challenge for me. There was so much I wanted to do and so much I was needed for and I just couldn’t do it. And you know what? It was OK. I communicated with my staff via text when needed. I let myself rest so I could be back as soon as possible. I took care of myself. I’ll admit this does not come naturally to me. When I was on my own I very well may have loaded up on my cold meds and just powered through. I honestly don’t know. I’m glad I didn’t have to make the choice between my business and my health this time.

Of course, I did still have to do some work. I am fortunate though to have a phenomenal staff that ran great interference for me. Yes I had to text them back and even do a couple quick phone calls but I didn’t need to talk to clients, walks still got done, new clients got added. Each day I would assess how I felt, look at my schedule for the next day, and get to canceling whatever I had going on. Everyone was very understanding (probably because I almost never do that). I checked my email and replied to people if I could, told them I was sick and would reply in full in a couple of days. And then I did.

This was a strong reminder that a lot of things are just not in my control. It’s possible for me to manage things and be available without pushing myself so hard. It also made me think hard about what would happen if I was suddenly limited in ways I’m not usually. Especially if it lasted for more than a week or two. I know I would struggle with that, but I think I may finally be getting to a place where I can let go. It feels good.