Mothering

I was discouraged this morning. I have had two really bad rounds with a nasty cold this year. In the fall it was 5 weeks of coughing and misery, including losing my voice, before I was feeling normal again. This spring I broke down after 3 weeks and went to the Clinic to be checked out. Diagnosis was a flu with perhaps some infection. A round of antibiotics later I was feeling fabulous.

After weeks of slipping into deeper misery each day recovering is a miraculous feeling. Interesting, I only have the flu, imagine what battling cancer is like. Dumbfounds me. I enjoyed six whole days of vibrant health. No coughing, no sore muscles, no sore nose! It was sweet, sweet bliss.

Then Saturday night a new cold arrived like a load of sand in my sinuses. I was miserable, again. Yesterday I dragged myself through a school day that felt like a long pointless battle. Then I went back to the Clinic. Diagnosis this time, allergies or a cold. I pray it's a cold because allergies is a lifelong sentence.

Anyway, I had a bad night's sleep and was not even remotely able to deal with a day out in the sun today (Field day at school). So I used one of my last few sick days and stayed home. One sad movie and a box of Kleenex later I was teary and mopey.

What does a girl do when she just can't get it together? Call her mom. Which I did. And she did what she does best. She listened to me natter on and on about minor, trivial details in my life long enough to perk up and get some perspective.

What would we do without our mothers to listen and give encouragement?