Be careful what you wish for...

You might just get it.

And you might just deserve what you get.

I don't want anyone to catch a cold or a flu.

I had a flu that lasted four days.

It started on Wednesday night, right after my class at Liberation Yoga.

I felt that it was coming on all day. You know the way it does.

I'm getting a cold!

What do I do?

Triage!!

Get the necessary remedies, medication, food, to stave it off!! Get rid of it ASAP so I can get on with my life...stat!!

I had a cold right around the time I was moving but was saved by a friend dumping chicken soup and zinc and oj at my door. It kept me from getting me down and I was able to move into my new place without a hitch, just a sneeze and a minor earthquake, but all went well.

Now...
there is no friend dumping chicken soup at my door.

I get home from my Liberation class and cancel my appointments for the following day even though I can't afford to.

I go get the necessary meds to take me through the night.

I will be fine by Thursday afternoon.

I am no where near fine by Thursday afternoon. I cancel Friday's appointments. There is no sick pay for moi.

Ironically, there are no calls. Apparently all of the friends that need me for advice or help daily, know that I am sick so they avoid calling me. Perhaps in fear that I might ask them to get me soup. Alas, I am self sufficient and my freezer and cupboard afford me many days of being on my own without leaving my apartment if I chose, to heal or survive World War III. I was raised well.

All I've wanted to do since I moved was spend some time in my apartment, appreciate its splendor and the cable I signed on for. I haven't had the time, so now is as good a time as any.

I can't do anything on Friday and I resign myself to the fact that I will be here in my fabulous apartment, so I may live it up. I try 'On Demanding' some movies but my cable box jams. I call the cable company and try to sleuth the problem with them.

After a half an hour I realize I don't need to see 'Nights in Rodanthe' that badly and there is plenty Reality re-runs and Lifetime movies from the early 90's to keep me nodding off for a day.

The cable woman tells me she'll send out a tech person in a week and a half and gives me a great cold remedy.
I will be super busy in a week and a half but I'll take your garlic and honey hot water tip and give it a try.

I'll be fine by Saturday anyway.

I wake up Saturday and can barely move, let alone sneeze without my entire bed vibrating along with it. I pad my way through my studio in my old terry slippers. It's quiet. I make coffee and take my tylenol cold day. I don't do oatmeal but I have it and it's warm so I do it. Yum. I can't taste it anyway. Calories I can't enjoy. Great.

I get back into bed and drink my coffee, read my book. I sit in the quiet. It's a good book. It's a good quiet. It's a gooood coffee. Something about coffee when you are sick. I drink plenty of other fluids to balance out the caffeine, but caffeine when you are sick, it's awesome. When you are in the foggy haze of cold meds, it just brings you back.

I can get used to this.

I'm restless.

But, I can get used to this.

Very little e-mails and no calls.

Its funny when you drop off the radar.

I can get used to this.

I watch horrible Lifetime.

I see who won Project Runway two years ago.

I finish my book.

I eat macaroni and cheese and chicken soup.

Not together.

I think I can taste it.

Nope, I can't taste it.

Wasted calories.

But, I'm happier than I've been in a long time.

I want to exercise, leave the apartment. I hear it's beautiful out.

It's LA. It's always freekin' beautiful out.

Where is the rain when I'm feeling like rain?

Tomorrow I will feel better. I will go for a run, go grocery shopping, resume normal tasks.

Now I will sleep and not look at the clock.

I will sleep in the day and wake up in the day and sleep in the night and wake up a bit in the night and go back to sleep.

Night sweats.

Ewww.

I will be better tomorrow.

I wake up Sunday and actually say out loud, you have got to be kidding me!

Still sneezing, still sounding like a middle aged male late night radio talk show host in the midwest.

Kinda sexy and creepy at the same time.

I actually attempt to run. Maybe it will work itself out of my system.

I can actually hear my mother in the middle of my 90 beats per minute dance music telling me I'm a fool for getting out of bed.

Me, who can run anyone on the Santa Monica esplinade out of their Nikes.

Me, who thought twice about asking the guy at the lifeguard stand if he could give me a ride home.

Me, who smartened up and stopped at the gas station on the way home after a measly 3 miles for a zone bar and a water. I'm dehydrated and famished.

Just let yourself.

Just.

Let.

Yourself be!

I get home, shower and prepare more soup (doesn't get old, even when I'm not sick) and turn on the tele to watch all of the beautiful people pose while entering the Oscar Ceremonies.

There is nothing like watching the Oscars when you are sick. Everyone on the television is beautiful, smooth and polished while I am blotchy, bloated and have a raw and red strip of pain between my nose and my lips.

No calls. No emails.

I am alone with my soup and I am happier than I have ever been.

I go to sleep as the beautiful people pile out of the Kodak for interviews and parties.

I have work to do tomorrow.

I wake up Monday morning without an alarm clock.

I drink coffee.

I do yoga.

I meditate.

I eat breakfast.

I am clear.

I am rested.

No fuzzy Tylenol cold hangover.

A little congestion but no post nasal drip.

No lethargy.

No....

I'm awake.

I'm alive.

I'm ready.

Ready to work...ready for all the possibilities that might fill my day.

I go to my clients. All lessons clear and inspired. Where have I been?

I'm so excited.

Like, I just won an Oscar excited but haven't shared it with anyone.

Where have I been?

It sucks to get sick.

I'm so glad I got sick.

I'm so glad that sickness forced me to stop. Stop absolutely everything. Everything that was a priority in order to take care of what is the first priority, myself.

I can't believe that I have neglected myself for this long.

I apologize to myself that it took a flu/cold to make me stop and take care of myself.

One can be no good, absolutely no good to anyone without rest and taking care of oneself.

I am now a huge fan.

Not of the cold, but of the rest.

I think it's gonna be the next big thing.

I think rest is the new black.

I think you will see it on all the red carpets this 2009.

For someone who hasn't gotten more than 5 hours of sleep most nights for the last 6 months, I'm going to tell you right now, I think you can never underestimate the power of rest...for at least eight hours...and maybe a cold that will force you to sleep.

I hear everyone's doing it.

It doesn't cost a fortune either.

You heard it here first.