Nothing I’ve posted has ever been more true. Believe me dat, Poopies.
Happy Friday, Poopies! I hope you have had a good week. Though mine has started out quite rough and seemed to only get worse as it went on, I am happy to report that as of this very moment in time, I am doing well. For the last few hours I have actually begun to feel like myself for the first time in literally 4 weeks. Yep, 4 weeks I’ve been dealing with the virus from hell – a whole month of my life down the mono-riffic tube. BUT, as you all know, I am not one to completely wallow. Yes, I’ve thrown a couple pity parties and bitched and complained, but now that I am seeing a bit of a low glow from the light at the end of the tunnel, I am happy to report I have stumbled upon the silver lining of all this. Because ‘ole Poops here always believes you can find one if you’re open to seeing that even in our most challenging, difficult times, there is something to be learned and valued. And this brings me to today’s MOMtra, courtesy of a very wise, old sage…Virgil, one of ancient’s Rome’s most treasured and revered poets.
And this is what he so famously said:
THE GREATEST WEALTH IS HEALTH.
Let’s say it again in case you didn’t quite get it…THE GREATEST WEALTH IS HEALTH. Got it? One more time for those of you who might still be a bit distracted and haven’t fully let this sink in: THE GREATEST WEALTH IS HEALTH.
The great benefit of mono at 36? The grand gift the virus from hell has bestowed on me? Here it is, Poopies. It’s as simple as what Virgil said all those thousands of years ago. I will never, ever in my life take my good health for granted. Without it, happiness is hard to come by. So we’re stressed about selling our house? Big wup! So my husband has to travel often and I pull double-duty more than I’d like? So what! So my girls drive me up the wall and bicker constantly. Big effin’ deal. NONE OF IT MATTERS. NONE OF IT. HEALTH IS WEALTH. HEALTH IS EVERYTHING. Someone could show up at our door tomorrow and offer us twice what our house is worth and it wouldn’t mean a damn thing if someone in this house were seriously ill. PoopieDaddy could come home today and announce he’s done traveling forever but it wouldn’t matter at all if he also told me he was very sick. The girls could call a ceasefire and never yell at one another again and it wouldn’t be remotely important if god forbid one my precious babies weren’t well. Are you hearing what I’m saying, Poopies? HEALTH IS WEALTH.
I am just truly grateful to have been given this major wake-up call by mononucleosis and not something far more serious or scary. I always knew I would get better and except for the first week with the awful fever and aches, the main symptom has just been the relentless malaise and fatigue. But that is nothing compared to what some families out there are dealing with, nothing at all. I am fortunate. Truly fortunate and this whole experience has profoundly changed my attitude toward my health and my body and how I treat it. Major major wake-up call from Poopie’s immune system saying, hey bitch, don’t fucking test me or I’ll have to show you who’s boss. And it’s true. Pre-mono, I didn’t get enough sleep, I was way too stressed about insignificant shit, I held a lot of my feelings in that, fortunately, some good friends as of late have helped yank slowly out of me, and all in all, have generally worn myself down to the point where my body finally said enough is enough.
The worst part is not being able to have the normal amount of energy my girls are so used to seeing. Even on a few hours of sleep, I would still be dancing and singing in the car on the way to school or chasing them around the park in the afternoon. I am always giving my best to them and these past four weeks my best wasn’t available. It’s completely tapped out, the energy well has run dry. I can only imagine what moms with far more serious diagnoses feel like when their babies ask them why they can’t get out of bed and play. It breaks my heart just thinking about it. And I hope I’ll never have to experience it in my lifetime.
WEALTH IS HEALTH, Poopies. You could have all the money in the world, but without wellness, happiness is hard to come by.
So…as you enter your weekend, I hope you will think about your health. Maybe some of you are dedicated to being super healthy and practice phenomenal habits of wellness day in and day out. If so, I salute you and hope you can share those with us by posting a comment. But, if you’re anything like me and know you should sleep more, stress less, eat better, drink less and all around get your ass in a much better mode, then perhaps this MOMtra will provide you with the motivation you need to start making better healthy choices today. I think I believed that because I worked out every day and ate pretty well that I could just keep going on the way I was going. But getting mono proved me wrong. I have no doubt I wouldn’t have been susceptible to the virus and succumbed to those nasty germs if my system were in better shape. I would never wish for any of you to feel how rotten I’ve felt inside and out these past weeks, so please please heed the MOMtra and take care of yourselves! WEALTH IS HEALTH!
I love you, Poopies. Have a wonderful weekend! I wish you all so much good health and wellness! xxoo.
