The Winking Witch

"At first I thought you were some crazy lady.” My witch cackle filled the air. "But, nahh, you look good,” said my garbage man this morning while the white sanitation truck passed with honking horn. I was walking home from the bus stop in full Halloween regalia. My shirt says: THE WINKING WITCH…COME AND SIT FOR A SPELL.

Now here’s the thing, anyone who knows me for five minutes, realizes I love to dress up. However, the last thing I wanted to do this morning was get up and put on a costume for the kids’ school parties. Gigi has a parade and David has a shin-dig for which I volunteered to orchestrate the freeze-dance festivities. I have been in bed all week with some kind of nasty bug that included a fever, sleepless nights, and a cough that has gotten my abs in shape.

Being ill is terrible and so I pose the question: How does one work her skirt when she needs to take to her sick bed? Well, Monday, I felt the stirrings of a cold brewing and I mustered up the energy to make homemade chicken noodle soup with dill, leeks, carrots, and parsnips. Soup was on hand whenever I needed nourishment. I also slept in the cutest, coziest pj’s. I showered and did my hair every day even though I didn't feel like it. I retired to the guest room and watched countless hours of TV and read half of THE FALL OF GIANTS, which is a thousand page book. The kids came in at regular intervals to cuddle (they already had the virus).

In my weakened state, I didn’t care very much about doing things "according to plan" and realized a few life lessons. Because I didn't have the energy to be the go-between with my kids sibling rivalry, they didn't come to me. Hmmm, staying out of their disputes is my next plan of action, or in-action. Saying "no" to volunteering or to a project that will max me out was easy because I was taking care of myself. The most enlightening reward was through my son David Dean, who is 7 years old. He stayed home one day with a "sore throat,” which might have been a sympathy move, but I didn't care because he is the best hugger. We watched movies about Greek gods/goddesses, ate ice cream in the morning, and snuggled all day. He said to me something I will never forget, "Mom, you know, I want to have kids one day and you are teaching me how to act when I have kids.” I asked him what he meant as I scooped more ice cream in his bowl. He replied, "You are showing me that even though you feel sick, you can still have fun and that it is OK to break the rules to make yourself feel better.” How’s that for some crazy lady?