Sleep Deprived in Mississippi

“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” ~ C. S. Lewis

Sleep Deprived in Mississippi.

Question: What do you get when you cross 1 winter storm + 1 sinus infection + 1 shoulder/arm pain issue?

Answer: one sleep deprived grumpy woman.

For the past ten plus days I have been battling all the above. The arm/shoulder pain started first. This issue has presented itself a couple of times before. I will not bore you with all the details but understand if your arm hurts to move and you are right-handed…well, you get it.

Next came the sinus crud. Thankfully, this began before Snowapolis, and I was able to have a Telehealth visit and get a couple of prescriptions. The bad news there was that one worked okay, but the main one, the cough suppressant, failed. This means I have spent hours coughing non-stop.

So, constant arm/shoulder pain, wracking cough, constant blowing of nose and artic temperatures are the perfect recipe for getting ZERO sleep. Lest you feel I am over-aggerating, ask my poor husband and dog. They bear witness to my suffering. And theirs.

While my arm still hurts, I am determined to get my blog together for you fine folks. Last Tuesday, I was not able to post at all. 

What a week we had in the south! Historical snow events happened for New Orleans and surrounding areas. We live close to the LA state line, and we only received around 2-3 inches of snow.  It was beautiful and I was thankful that neither myself nor my husband had to leave the house. 

Our Doxie, Wiggles, was less than enthusiastic about being outside for his potty breaks, but he went anyway. Our Vet has nicknamed him the Unicorn Doxie because he is so accommodating – NOT a trait of his breed. His reward was warm blankets and tasty treats for his courage and suffering in the face of adversity.

Life is full of adversity, isn’t it? You only need to look at your phone or stream something on your TV or laptop to recognize that truth. Some weeks, we hurt and do not sleep, and other weeks it is sunshine and laughter. 

During this trying week, I celebrated (and I use that word lightly) my 59th birthday. While it was not the celebration I had planned, I still said a prayer of gratitude. More than once I was not sure if I would have another birthday.

Learning to live with an attitude of gratitude during tough times is not easy. It’s okay to take a minute, have a good cry and even allow a moment of self-pity, but we cannot stay there. We must pull ourselves up and weather onward until things are better. Nothing lasts forever, and there will be good days again.

I’m not sure if anyone reading this needs that reminder or not, but this too will pass. For me, I will get to see my doctor today to discuss arm/shoulder issues. For you, I hope whatever your circumstance, you find something that helps your situation too.

In the meantime, I expect sleep WILL return. I am counting on it. Remember when you were a teenager and could sleep all day? Yeah, I know. Me too!