sick day

I can smell the remenants of cinnamon toast. The warm bread had melting butter glistening on it. I wanted to cut the rectangles into thin fingers, like my Dad used to. A sick day treat--toast fingers and a glass of juice. Instead of being looked after by Mum or Dad, I'm home alone on my sick day. The quiet afternoon sun, a little breeze from a cracked-open window. Drinking lots of fluids, yes, mother, and I've eaten two oranges. I hope the enlivening vitamin C starts working in me soon. Other people talk about eating chicken soup on their sick days, but I don't remember ever doing this. I did feed myself some lunch with the leftover fried rice that Ant made last night. My darling husband has carried the cooking AND cleaning load this weekend. I hope to be able to cook the steak that's thawing for dinner in his honour.

I have been sitting or lying on the couch, and I've fallen asleep there several times. During the real sleeping time, at night, I have been coughing instead of sleeping. Ant can't sleep because of it. "Cough syrup doesn't work," I read today. Well, I'm willing to try. And I keep a big glass of water at the foot of the bed to sip when the hacking begins. Trouble is, I have to sit up and slither down there to get it. (My side of the bed is against the wall--ah, the Hong Kong life.)

(I'm reading Creative Journal Writing by Stephanie Dowrick between naps. Hence the more freely associative style.)

recent discoveries

I have recently discovered that:

• "reader" is my favourite one-handed typing word.
• sharing magazines with others is a clever type of recycling.
• the laundry dries more quickly in the guest bedroom than in the living room (due to the morning sun)--and it's out of the way there, too.
• pruning and washing the leaves on my indoor tree has revitalised it. (And I bet the same is true for people.)
• falling asleep on the couch for a nap with a book in hand is one version of luxury.
• persistence in rearranging my classroom furniture has finally led to a more open, spacious feeling. It's still the same number of desks and children, but they finally feel as though they fit.
• lesson planning is sometimes just "activity sequencing".

What have you discovered recently? Please share your pithy wisdom in the comments.