This week my Word of the Week is:
On Sunday, in my Project 365 post I mentioned that I hadn’t been feeling great and had a bit of a cough. At the time I thought it'd pass, it’s probably nothing. Famous last words! By Monday morning that cough had decided it wasn’t leaving quietly and turned into a full-blown cold. Thankfully, this week turned out to be very gentle, which was exactly what I needed. I didn’t have much planned, which meant I could slow things down without feeling guilty. The cold itself wasn’t even that bad. No aching limbs, no headaches and no tiredness. It was mostly a blocked/snotty nose and a cough that refused to budge for a few days. The only real tiredness came from waking myself up during the night. Either for a drink of water or because my body suddenly decided it needed to sneeze right that second. It's not fun waking up mid-sneeze when you’re not prepared for it. Everything jolts at once and I actually thought I’d put my back out at one point. lol
My family knew I was under the weather so they really stepped up this week. Just doing lots of small, thoughtful things that made my days easier. Helping out more around the house, doing bits without being asked, helping with the cooking and just being a bit more patient with each other. When everyone pulls together like that everyone feels happier, not just me and the house runs more smoothly. I did think how nice it would be if this was normal all the time but I'm a realist. Once I’m back to normal we’ll probably drift back into our usual ways. It was nice while it lasted.
Even though I wasn’t feeling great I still managed to tick quite a few things off my to-do list. I didn’t go into this week with big expectations. My goal was simply to get through the days without feeling worse and anything else was a bonus and because of that, every little job I managed felt like an achievement. I did more decluttering in mine and Stu’s bedroom and I also managed to keep on top of the clean washing. The longest it stayed on the dining room table was a few hours, which is a miracle in this house.
This week also had me thinking about Stu and his work situation again. If you’ve been reading here for a while, you might remember last year when he was really disheartened at work. He was close to walking out more than once and even started applying for other jobs. He had interviews and got offers but none of them felt right for him or for us as a family, so he turned them down. In the end, he stayed in the job he hated but he wasn't quiet about it. He told his managers some home truths about what he would and wouldn’t do in his role. I think he reached a point where he had nothing to lose and they took it quite well. Instead of pushing back, they listened, they even seemed to respect him for standing his ground. Since then, things have changed so much. They still mention targets but there’s no pressure. If he feels selling something to someone isn’t right, he doesn’t do it and doesn’t get pulled up for it either. They don’t chase him about compulsory overtime now either and it has really changed his mood about work. I wouldn't say he is happy but he is less frustrated with it.
Looking back over the week, gentle really does fit perfectly. Gentle on my body while I wasn’t feeling great, gentle expectations of myself, gentle support from my family and even the work worries that used to feel so big and take up so much space in my head feel gentler now. I’m hoping the cold fully clears off soon and that I can carry a bit of this gentler pace into the next week too.
How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay to join in with her Word of the Week linky!
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