Making Snacks Is My Job

Food poisoning. Yuck. It completely knocks the crap out of you, or at least it does to me. Both literally and figuratively.

I am pretty sure that's what's been going on all week with my body. The intense feeling of a cement in the pit of my stomach, the nausea, the violent expulsions from my lower bowel, the shaking, the headaches, the weakness, not just ALS weakness but beyond that; in all of this there has been no cough, no mucus, an a very low if any fever. I've even picked out candidate but I am loathe to discuss it here, lest I be wrong and get sued.

More importantly, most of that feeling has passed, as has most of my stomach content. I still feel rough, but I am on the mend. That means today can be at least one day of my cleaning weekend. I've asked me friends to get together and help me with the deeper cleaning tasks which are simply beyond me, things like washing walls and doors, moving furniture and cleaning under it, and wiping out cupboards, all the kinds of things which you should do periodically yet I cannot do at all.

Yesterday was sort of cancelled. I sent out a weakly worded email saying I was sick and I wasn't sure what to do. Bobbi showed up regardless, working hard while I moaned away in bed. Andrea and Elizabeth came later in the day; Andrea because she didn't read my email and Elizabeth because I didn't explicitly say cancel. They worked while I continued to rest, but at least I got out of bed and had dinner with them.

Today perhaps a half a dozen people will show up during the course of the day to help with the various tasks on the list; yes, there is a list. I am, after all, a project manager. Some of them are already here, busy working while I type. My chore, about to begin shortly, is making snacks. That I can do, handily.

I am once again struck by how fortunate I am to have this group of people around me, people who care deeply about my well-being, people who don't mind doing some of the dirty work. These are the same people who like wine bottling, football games and just plain having a good time. It is a precious combination, for which I am truly grateful. Now, one to slicing fruit!