Glad That’s Over!

I admit. This is not the post I planned to write. My birthday was Friday. My poetry book was published on Amazon over the weekend. I started setting up my classroom on Saturday. There were LOTS of potential ideas. Nope. They were all vetoed.

Why? This morning, my alarm was set before 6. A bit after, as I did a HUGE morning stretch, my room suddenly started spinning. I laid there for a bit, then I sat up and remained in front of the fan aimed at my bed. Why? Sweat was running down my face. I stayed in that position until the room stayed put, then I slowly and cautiously made my way to the restroom. I slowly got dressed knowing that a walk would not be wise since the room would stop and start spinning with head movements.

Thankful to have a small bag next to my recliner to collect trash in the living room, I used it for other purposes. [My cats during this time felt compelled to get close to me, which I vetoed.] My early departure to Room 404 was delayed. Temperature taken – below 97*. Apple juice drank. By 9:00, the room had stopped spinning and I headed to school. Grabbing something to eat on my way.

Walked into the school to see that waxing the hallway would soon be taking place. I worked on cleaning the shelves behind my teacher’s desk, and I realized that something was still off. At 11ish, I loaded up my laptop and returned home. Breakfast decided to meet the bag next to my recliner. I set my alarm on my cell phone for 1:30 and I dozed off….with two cats napping with me.

Next thing I knew, it was 1:25 and I sat up and realized….it had passed. Whatever IT was…it was gone. Testing my theory I poured the last of my Diet Spirt into a cup and grabbed a couple pretzel rods. By 2:00, I felt “mostly” normal [as normal as I ever feel]. I participated in the initial meeting for next week’s online training without one spin of the room or grab for the bag.

And I thought to myself, “Man, I’m glad that’s over.” Boom! Blog post detour.

Life is like that. Isn’t it? We can have plans. Good plans. But… They can get derailed. A 2-mile walk this morning would’ve been beneficial, but that same walk with my messed up equilibrium and nauseated stomach and mega-sweats (worse than my ‘hot flash’ perspiration) would’ve been unwise. Working all day in my room would’ve accomplished a lot and decreased my self-imposed stress, but meandering around my room with several trips down the hall in the midst of occasional spinning environments wouldn’t have been productive. Plans change. Direction shifts. That’s okay.

Even from those “I’m glad that’s over” things in our lives, we can learn something important. Here’s what I learned from those awful seven hours:
1. If you wake up with the room spinning, go ahead and alter your plans. Most things can wait until you feel better.
2. Always keep some Sprite or 7-Up in the house for days like this. Diet Dr. Pepper is not your friend on these days.
3. If you run through McDonald’s on mornings like these, opt for an English muffin or Bagel rather than a breakfast sandwich.
4. Just slowly lean back and go back to sleep. When you wake up, it might be gone.

So, what was it? No clue. I asked Google. It suggested low blood sugar, vertigo, or an inner ear issue. I figure when I go in for my annual blood work, I’ll tell the nurse practitioner it happened and see what she says. If it happens again before then, I’ll schedule an appointment. For now, I’ll just appreciate the perspective it gives me.

You see, there are times in our lives when we travel a path we didn’t choose or possibly we chose to be on wrongly. During those times, gather what you can from the experience, but be glad when it’s over…or when you realize you’re on the wrong path and redirect your steps. Those seven hours this morning made me SO THANKFUL for a non-spinning room. That’s not something I’m usually aware of to be thankful. Being able to bend over and stand up without holding on to something is not something I generally realize is a blessing. Finally, I often list a good meal as something to be thankful for on my gratitude list #gratitudejournalofjodilea, I rarely would list pretzel rods or a Nutrigrain bar. However, at this moment of the day, those things calmed a growling stomach, so they rock!

Some things in life…aren’t meant to be cherished, but they’re meant to make us appreciate what we had before they came or after they left. Let’s face it. Mountaintops wouldn’t be as wonderful if we didn’t know how hard the valleys are. Sunny skies wouldn’t be such a blessing if we hadn’t endured the storm beforehand. And…calm stomachs, dry skin, and unspinning rooms wouldn’t be as loved if we didn’t experience being nauseated, sweaty, and dizzy. Just saying.