Jenn is currently "under the weather", that's why she is not blogging at her usual rate. She'll tell you "it's just a cold", and it is probably nothing to worry about. But as Moms we all know that it never is "just" anything! Not with 3 kids and a job and a hubby (no matter how wonderful and self-sufficient he is). Our lives are full of multi-tasking and split second decision making and levels of stress and physical, mental and emotional demands that may be "low-level" on the cortisol (stress hormone) scale, but are constant and don't let up, even for illness.
And of course she will drag herself into work, because that's what we do. We get on with it, ignore ourselves and our bodies and give everything we've got. And she'll survive this. In fact she'll do great. She won't miss a deadline, she will meet her commitments, and she'll be there to cover for colleagues who can't just "get over it". Because she never does anything halfway.
She doesn't think of herself as "SuperMom". None of us do. Nonetheless we put super-human requirements on ourselves and we often do manage to "save the day". Jenn's like most of us. Doing the best she can, giving her all, kicking herself when she thinks she's slacking. I've been reading a lot of blog posts lately that show Moms doing the same thing to themselves.
So this is a "Feel Better" message to my dear friend, and to all of us who are stressed and suffering from the malaise that seems to have invaded the cosmos recently. I am working on a list of reasons as to why so many of us are so affected right now (check out the coming Friday 15!).
But for today, if you feel up to it, let your thoughts and good wishes go out to Jenn! And if you are not up to it, I give you the same advise I gave to her - "Take a walk. Get outside and notice the beginning of fall. Look at the leaves, the sky, smell the air. Give yourself a break!"
Back in June, before I started blogging, I was inspired by Jenn's poetry and left the following comment on her blog. You might have missed it as it was a later comment, so I put it here. Not the best in terms of poetry, but it does say a lot about how I feel about her.
My Friend Jenn...
all feel better soon. Especially you my friend!
My friend Jenn writes a blog that I could have authored, only she does it better.
My friend Jenn makes me smile, makes me groan, makes me laugh, makes me cry, sometimes all at the same time.
My friend Jenn makes me a better mother ‘cause she sets the bar so high but is honest about her failures.
My friend Jenn is a superstar, but also the best person you could ever have in the audience.
My friend Jenn awakens the green-eyed monster in me, and then feeds it homemade cookies.
My friend Jenn is so different in her background that I was scared to get to know her.
My friend Jenn is so similar in her spirit that she is the sister I never had.
My friend Jenn sees the beauty in the chaos, so she can come to my house anytime.
My friend Jenn makes me feel like such a good friend, I want to add it to my resumé.
My friend Jenn is only twenty-six, which is cool because I am only twenty-eight. Too bad our bodies are so confused about their ages.
My friend Jenn doesn’t really know how great she is, so I have to tell her sometimes. That’s not easy to do when your are as competitive as I am.
My friend Jenn lives too far away, I don’t get to see her everyday. But I do get to read about her life. A small compensation, but still fun.
My friend Jenn has so much energy she makes me tired watching her.
My friend Jenn makes me so proud that I can call her
My friend Jenn.