By Charlotte Kowalson
CRACK!!
Oh! Such pain!
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m…”
“I know,” I replied softly, “Now let’s do our activity!”
Oh man, this really hurts! Why does this hurt so much?
Just keep doing group time with the kids! This will all go away!
Nope, not going away! Maybe I need an ice pack!
Well, the ice pack is helping, but man this headache is spreading fast, all the way around my head.
I need to let my boss know.
Boss is busy right now.
Okay, boss is less busy – let her know. Why is it so hard to talk well?
Maybe it’s not safe for me to be here, alone with kids.
Call Mom.
Try calling local clinic – why is the phone saying a Winnipeg clinic?
Hang up! Hang up! Hang up!
Good, got through to local clinic. Doctor’s appointment before lunch. Here’s Mom, I’ll repeat it out loud, and then she knows too!
Hey, Mom you missed my turn, we’ve got to go to my house!
Finally! A chance to sit and not be moving!
“You’re not looking so good!’
Thanks, Mom!
Okay, at the doctor’s office. This is so embarrassing, I’ll just keep talking while I’ve got this ice pack on my head, then I’ll seem more normal. My turn? Okay, up we go.
Whoa! Who made the floor into a Tilt-A-Whirl ride?
Hey Doc! Here’s what happened. Here’s how I feel!
OUCH!! Don’t touch there, that’s where the kid’s head banged into mine!
What are you saying? No, no, no! I cannot possibly be away from work for a week! This is so embarrassing! How am I going to explain this to people? These things don’t happen, not like this!
Okay, got a hold of work, and at home now! I’ll lay down for half an hour and I’ll feel better!
A mild concussion.
Most of my “naps” during the week that followed were at least 3 hours long. I did wake up periodically during these naps, but turned over and went back to sleep. The longest “nap” was almost 6 hours long on a day when I tried to be independent and do things like I normally would. My body completely rebelled, and I felt very close to how I did on the first day!
The unbelievable does happen.
And in that unbelievable, God takes care of his children.
Even if taking care of them means forcing them to rest. Before this incident, I was putting the “pedal to the metal” with working, attending school, crafting, prepping for work at home, trying to do a deep spring cleaning and decluttering, as well as numerous other projects. In addition, I just came off of a couple of great weekends where I was busy to the maximum (and still tried to squeeze more into the days).
And now, here I am. I am due back to work tomorrow. I still feel embarrassed because most people will not believe how I got the concussion. But the truth is, that is how it happened. God sometimes uses the strangest occurrences for His purpose. I needed to slow down. Even while recuperating, I still tried to get things done. But my body responded with a definitive, “NO”! I could do things as time went by, but slower, at an easier pace and with more care and deliberation.
What did I do while forced to rest? I read God’s word and an inspirational book, I prayed, and I slowly worked on some crafting. All at a pace where my body did not rebel and make me feel off balance. Because I had definitely been off balance and putting things of lesser importance ahead of doing those things that looked more important.
Let’s all remember to get back into balance with what God deems important and do them first – before a situation comes when we are forced to rest and realign our life balance.
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About the Author
Charlotte grew up in Saskatchewan, but now lives in Steinbach, Manitoba with her husband Scott and their rescue cat Barney. She enjoys crocheting, reading, music, and writing. She has been in daycare (teaching preschoolers) for the past 15 years with no graduation date in sight! She enjoys time spent with family, friends, and church family and she lives out her faith as she best knows how.