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Mind Over Stomach Bug
So I got a stomach bug over the weekend and was non-functional yesterday.
It’s been so long since I have been sick that I didn’t plan for this, and when I got better enough to stop feeling sorry for myself, it got me thinking.
What do people with CHILDREN do when they are wiped out? I physically couldn’t function, what would I do if I had a baby crying for me?
Then today, despite feeling rubbish and knowing that it was going to be a nightmare of a day, I got out of bed and came to work. Because I hadn’t planned for a sick day, I was so behind from yesterday that I simply could not NOT turn up without letting a lot of people down even more than my non-starting yesterday. My brain was functioning JUST ENOUGH and I have trained myself JUST ENOUGH that I think I am able to go to meetings, churn through my to-dos and get stuff done when other people would still be in bed.
Which made me think that owning a business probably gives me an indication of what I’m in for with kids. You sometimes have to just toughen up and not give into the little moaning minnie in your head that is saying ‘please please please leave me alone I want to DIE’, and get up and get going.
Yet another reminder of how much power our brains have over us and the power of not having another option but to get out of bed :)
Hello, my name is Natalie, I have a business called 
August 3rd, 2010 at 8:18 pm
“People with kids” rely on the other in the relationship – how single parents cope I don’t know, but they seem to.
August 4th, 2010 at 6:53 am
Nat, as a small business owner and parent of twins I can tell you that running a business is a doddle compared to kids. When our twins were about 3 months old, my wife and I both caught a nasty virus and couldn’t do anything for about 3 days. We had to ship in both sets of grandparents to look after the kids and us!
August 4th, 2010 at 10:10 am
Richard, yes! I wasnt saying it was anywhere NEAR close… It just made me realise that with kids you just have to harden up even more!
I used to look after twins, to help the mum out a bit – even when they are well, there’s not a lot of room for rest, from what I saw…
August 6th, 2010 at 11:16 am
As an attendee at one of Nat’s later meetings, I can assure you all that she was firing on all 12 intellectual cylinders, even if three of the body six were mis-firing. (Her alcohol cylinder had lost pressure totally!)
The reality with kids, is exactly the same as with a business. My ex and I raised our brood overseas from all relatives, so had no nannas or dandads to call in when the lot of us went down; we managed, because that’s what you do. Later you just look back and wonder how it all got done, but it does somehow.
Let fear of such a situation not deter you from the joys of parenthood, it’s great when your kids reach their mid 30s and you can enjoy them as peers and friends without the banker and gratis-boarding-house manager labels hanging over you. :-)
August 6th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Ha ha yes I have been proud as punch all week that I went out for dinner WITHOUT drinking wine! (Others apparently do this often when recovering from illnesses…)
Yes I suppose this is Yet Another Reason to love your parents and have maximum respect for the hardest job of all.
And unfortunately, I think that in these matters hormones win out over logic and one day my body will simply not be ok without having a baby, so despite all the long nights and hard work, I’ll wind up knocked up and a million percent happy.
August 6th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
‘…. it’s great when your kids reach their mid 30s and you can enjoy them as peers and friends without the banker and gratis-boarding-house manager labels hanging over you. :-)’
Strings, you obviously didn’t raise them in Italy :)
Nat, I don’t have your email and want to invite you to something, any chance you can drop me a line?
Josh
August 24th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Hi Natalie,
I’m an entrepreneur (founder of Apple “Staff Pick” http://kartme.com ) who was just hit by a stomach bug and absolutely floored. Had to work extra hard on Sunday and Monday to makeup for it. It made me realize the value of having a great team and clear goals, which allows the team to operate without me.
I hope you’re feeling better.
Phil