Swine flu- seriously people!

Can't a girl not feel good and not have some highly contagious, weird disease? I mean, come on! I started feeling yucky on Friday and by Sunday night I had chills and a sore throat, nothing major, I even went to work on Monday.

I heard " Get the clorox wipes, she's got the swine" more times than I think was necessary, but I guess everyone has to fear something. Then I went walking with my sister and she was also convinced that it was swine flu and I was infecting her.

I came home. feeling much worse after walking for an hour and finally took my temperature, 101.7, ok, let's call insta care.

I went in, they made me wear a mask and not sit with other people, it was strep. Simple little strep, well maybe not so simple, I certainly felt like shit.

However, I did find out that my teenager, who seems to think I'm no more human than most ATM's, has a nurturing side. She made me hot tea with honey and lemon, heated up the rice packs to put in bed with me when I was shaking from the chills, and got up in the middle of the night to bring me ibuprofen when the fever and chills were killing me. Thank you my sweet little Mo, I am one lucky Momma!

Today I am much better, instead of chills I'm sweating, can't tell if it's from the strep or if it's just hot flashes run amok, either way, the bath tub sure feels good today. Not the greenest activity in the world, taking four or five baths a day, but it feels oh so wonderful.

I'm off to curl up on the couch with a book, the guilty pleasures of being sick. It certainly is nice to have an entire day to do nothing. I keep making a list in my head of all the things I could get done since I'm home anyway, clean the garage, mow the front yard, finish sanding the spare room...... it goes on and on. But I think, just this once, I'm going to take care of me and do absolutely nothing.......if I could just get someone to bring me some food, I'd have it made!

Oh, one more thing. I am trying to take a step everyday towards living my dream ( that whole writing thing) so in addition to writing my stories every day, I started today, applying for freelance writing positions. I'll let you know how it goes!

Create the change you want to be

Why do we put off what we know we need to do, what we should do, what will make us happy? I want to write, I love to write, I never write. My excuses are many, too little time, too much going on with my daughter, my sisters, my relationship, my friends, my mom, too much yard work, housework, too many home improvement projects. And on and on and on.

Why? Am I so afraid of failure that I won't even try? No one has to see what I write, I don't have to send it out into the big world all alone, I can keep it safely locked in my computer, like I have for the past ten years.

I've started three novels, written twenty short stories. What do I do with them? Nothing. I dont' even reread them after I finish writing them. I hit save and move on.

It has been said by someone much wiser than I, find a way to get paid to do what you love and you will never work again. I love to write. I dream of sitting at my computer, with a cup of coffee, listening to the birds sing, watching the flowers grow while I write and write and write.

Instead, I find reasons not to do what I love and fill my days with things I don't love, laundry and vacuuming and sanding walls and grocery shopping. Yes, all of those things have to be done, but so does my writing. I feel like it sits inside of me, waiting for me to bring it out.

So, new goal. I will write for an hour a day, everyday, no excuses. I will start researching and learning everything I can about getting published. I will start submitting my short stories to contests. I will live my dream.