You’d think God would be kinder to me. I mean, s/he’s thrown half a dozen significant earthquakes at me in the past nine months (hell, by comparison even pregnancy’s fun), and we’re being put through thousands of aftershocks, not to mention the loss of job security. Our city’s broken. Isn’t that enough?
I took on a part-time job. Just a little one. Hell, it barely even counts as a job! But it’s enough to let us have takeaways on a Friday night without a dose of the guilts – and that, folks, is a Big Deal for us just now.
A real job! Excellent idea, I thought. Beloved agreed. The cosmos, apparently, did not.
Within days (it felt like hours), our home turned into a House Of Ill. Drop the ‘Repute’ bit at the end – we’ve been so ill we haven’t had the energy for anything that exciting!
Little Miss Two – croup. Deduct one week.
Little Miss Two – gastro virus. Deduct two days.
Little Miss Two – croup (again). Deduct one week.
Master Seven – croup. Deduct four days.
Me – gastro virus. Deduct two days.
Little Miss Two – bronchio-freakin’-litis, for crying out loud! Deduct one looooong week.
Beloved – sprained ankle. Deduct zero days. No time for sympathy pampering, because…
Master Seven – serious infection. Hospitalisation. Deduct one night’s sleep.
Master Seven – severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea brought on by vicious, kill-the-bug-and-you-with-it antibiotics. Deduct five days.
And somewhere in the middle of all that I have to meet a major deadline in my new job and find time to write.
Guess what fell off the list? (Sigh.)
Post-script. Oh. My. God. Little Miss Two has come down with another cold. If it turns into croup, so help me, I’ll turn to drugs. For me, not her.
Am I the only one this kind of stuff happens to? Please, if life does this to you too - share it with me! Let me know I'm not the only one the cosmos is punishing. Give me permission to overdose on chocolate - or suggest an even better way of drowning my sorrows. :)
Am I the only one this kind of stuff happens to? Please, if life does this to you too - share it with me! Let me know I'm not the only one the cosmos is punishing. Give me permission to overdose on chocolate - or suggest an even better way of drowning my sorrows. :)
After all that's happened in the last couple of weeks you deserve all the chocolate you want :D
ReplyDeleteI don't think you're alone, life does suck sometimes. Though not as bad as you I've been suffering through a head cold and a sinus infection at the same time over the past week. I've been on the mend but this morning I woke up with another sore throat. No - I can't afford to get sick again. Argh.
Oh Maggie, {hug}
ReplyDeleteWhen the world shivers, shakes, and falls apart then it does it on every level.
Yes, you have total permission to overdose on chocolate or--if you haven't yet tried it--liquorice tea. Black Adder. I get it from our local New World supermarket, and very salubrious it is!
Don't worry about the writing. Just maintain (or find ) your emotional balance. The rest will come. It will get better. Promise.
I have every sympathy with you, Maggie, sounds awful. I'm the mother of snuffly twins and my husband has just broken his toe. Sigh. Hang in there - winter will soon be over!
ReplyDeletehang in there Maggie.
ReplyDeleteI belong to a group that keeps repeating "One Day at A Time" - though some days, it is 5 minutes at a time!
All of NZ still has CHCH in their hearts. You are not alone
xx Erin
OMG. Permission for several chocolate scoffing sessions granted. Actually I'd throw in a bottle of wine, too. Sounds like a very tough time, so the fact that you have made it through and can still smile shows a lot about you! The wheel always turns though so your up is obviously going to be spectacular! Hope it happens really soon!
ReplyDeleteJulieann, thanks so much for the empathy - and I'm so sorry you've got your own version of the House Of Ill going on. I'll take your permission to gorge myself stupid, and give you one right back! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hug, Gracie! You're a sweetie. As for your licorice tea suggestion (shudders) - think I'll stick with the chocolate thanks! ;)
ReplyDeleteWriting - sigh. Yeah, it's hard to convince myself not to worry about the lack of wordcount. Just as well I'm not posting totals online just now!
OMG Cody, twins? And a limping hubby? And you're sane? There's hope for me yet! (Stuffs straitjacket back in closet.) You're right, winter's to blame. I'm thinking of a tropical island... a kid-free tropical island... ahhhh. I feel better already! ;)
ReplyDeleteOh Erin, that's a wonderful mantra! I must practise repeating it to myself (like, 50x a day!). And thanks so much for your ongoing support. Y'know, it's close to a year now since that September quake, and at times I wonder if the rest of the country isn't getting just a little sick of us and our ongoing traumas. So it means so much to Cantabrians to know we've got so many people sending their love and good wishes. xx
ReplyDeleteNicki, I'll take that wine! (Then no doubt will come down with Little Miss Two's cold!!) I sure hope you're right about that spectacular up-cycle - maybe it'll include a publishing contract. Hmm... ;)
ReplyDeleteMaggie - I don't think any of us are sick of hearing about what you Cantabs are going through. You're a tough breed down there, but by crickey, all that shaking has to be wearing even the toughest of you down. We're all still behind you and will continue to do what we can to help make things a little better.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely to the chocolate! Gorge away my friend - you blimin' well deserve it! Crossing fingers that spectacular up-cylce happens soon - put a nice bottle of bubbly away for ready the occasion!
xo
Thanks LaVerne, you're so sweet. It's funny how you think you're doing just fine - then a truck rumbles past and you dive into the turtle position!!! hehe
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the wee gem of a book that came out of it all - called "You know you're from Christchurch when..."? It's full of LOL comments. (Tho I suspect we find it far funnier than people from elsewhere would...)
You always make my life appear so dull - but I'm guessing sometimes you'd like that! Go wonder woman!
ReplyDeleteBron, dull sounds *heavenly*. (Dreamy look on face.) We're about to take off for a few days, so I'm hoping:
ReplyDeletea) all the quakes will happen while we're away,
b) the kids will have so much fun they forget to be sick, and
c) a fairy godmother will whisk the kids away and let me sleep. For a week.
(Pah! The chances of any of those happening are zip!)
Maybe you could invent chocolate wine in a quieter (haha!) moment - y'know, for those who need comfort but don't have the time or energy to imbibe? Two lots of comfort in one swill. Hmmm... Would probably taste awful but the alcohol would quickly kick in before the taste had time to register. Ok, so the sun's hot today... :-)
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, the Cantabs aren't tantruming - that's Mother Earth. You poor things just have to go along for the rocky ride and all that involves. We are ALWAYS thinking of you down there, especially now in the big chill. Hang in there. Are you coming to conference? You could sleep for three solid days while supposedly learning (?subliminally?) - we won't tell!!! You sure sound like you need it... ;-)
Sorry it took me so long to publish your comment, Clare - I've been off on holiday and WIA (without Internet Access) - aaarghhh! Just about killed me!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your lovely thoughts, Clare - especially the invention suggestion. I'll look into it when I next get some time to myself (say, in a couple of decades! lol).
As for conference, I'll be there with bells on! Forget sleep - workshops and writing talk is balm to my tortured soul!!! :D See you there!