being sick and fabulous!

Friday my voice started to leave me and by the evening, I could only whisper.  I get seasonal laryngitis and apparently, tis' the season.

So, I grabbed my roll of tissue paper, my lip saver and detox oil and hunkered down for the night.  Who knew today I would still be beside my tissue paper, my lip saver and detox oil?  Whew, I have a yucky cold.

I have managed to be out of bed very little this weekend due to the fatigue and symptoms I am having.  Ugh, I just feel ugh.

I have been able to talk today a little bit, but when I talk for over a minute or two, I cough... and cough... so silence is still golden, so to speak, or not! 

I was telling my sister earlier I think this is the worst cold I have ever gotten.  But truth is, I really just don't remember having colds.  Or being acutely sick with the flu, or anything else.  I know I get sick, I know I get colds, but the one thing that makes it all so "un-memorable" is that these things go away, and my permanent injuries do not... so everything else I battle seems so unforgettable and small.  Everything.  Ah, I just have a cold!  In a week, I will be over it!  I sure wish I could say that about the rest of my physical ailments!  But... anyway.

I have literally had some serious silence over the weekend, needing more rest than usual and not wanting my kids to get this yucky cold, so I have reclused in my room while life around me has taken place.  Thank God for a wonderful husband that takes such awesome care of my boys and me!  And for  family that always is there to help!  Always! 

I have to tell you that on Friday night, night one of my 'silence,' I watched 20/20.  Wow, talk about leaving an impression on my heart.

Barbara Walters was interviewing precious children with the disease, progeria.  Suddenly, all that I had, all of my injuries down to my snotty nose and lack of voice didn't mattter, at all!  I am very aware how blessed I am and always brought to my knees when I see children who are suffering.  Watching these little girls and their  parents caused many emotions for me.  Many.  I wanted to change the channel, but I couldn't.  This was reality, and I wanted to  learn more about the reality that these families face daily.  I was completely inspired at the smiles on the faces of these children and encouraged to see the hope the parents held within.  I pray for progress in treatment for this awful disease.  One of the little girls simply wanted real hair...  I thought, I want her to have real hair too!  And as parents of healthy children, we take great delight in providing what our children want when we can... but these parents can't give her what she wants...real hair.  The pain in that alone is overwhelming.  One of the little girls ended her interview with saying "Don't let anything ruin your life."  Wow.  And her goal was to just "be fabulous!" 

As if the first segment of the show didn't have me adding to my pile of tissue, the second segment aired.  It told of a young couple marrying after he had been paralyzed in an accident.  They wanted to have a special first dance at their wedding and it showed the couple, along with many others in wheelchairs dancing to beautiful music!  I felt like I was on inspirational overload... literally.

The determination this couple had, the courage it took to dance after the tragedy, I could feel as I watched the story unfold and their wedding guests floored when the music started to play! 

I started thinking about the future for my health in regards to the "migration" of my injuries and I became overwhelmed at the very thought of being in a wheelchair, which was the prediction for me at five years after injury.  This is year eight.  Eight.  I knew in my heart at that instant, if I were in a chair at five years, or eight or twenty post injury, I would not be alone.  RW would be there to push me, love me and dance with me, even once the music stopped.

In that moment I was completely humbled.  I was grateful for healthy children, I was grateful for my husband, I was grateful for these injured legs and feet... I was absolutely grateful I learned to dance again after tragedy and even more determined to keep dancing!

Though the amounts of tissue have been really grand lately here, and the cold is lingering like crazy, I know it will go away.  I will recover and forget I ever had this cold, again.  I will forget about the lack of sleep from coughing and sneezing, but I will never forget the lesson I learned while being silent.  I will never forget the words from that precious little girl... "Don't let anything ruin your life... and be fabulous!"

I think I will take her up on her advice!  :)  Maybe you should too!