* Everyday Kindness
So Wednesday was my first day back at work. I worked from 8 -3 and that just about took all I had. Thursday I was much slower getting to work. I just couldn’t pull it together. I showered, then lay down. I put makeup on, they lay down. Little by little, I finally got ready for work and got there. After about an hour, I just couldn’t think. I felt wiped out, weak, confused, frustrated.. and the dizziness just kept coming at me. Once I realized I wasn’t going to make it through the day, I went home.I cried all the way home. It didn’t seem like I was crying for any particular reason.. just really tired and frustrated. I’m not in a lot of pain, but the aches and pains are everywhere and don’t seem to be letting up. I find that I’m not taking deep breaths.. and carrying my purse and laptop is just uncomfortable. Putting on my seat belt in the car requires that I twist my ribs and it always makes me yelp a little. I think I’m just tired of not feeling “normal”. Usually, when I’m tired and frustrated, I get on my bike and right now, that’s gone too. So yesterday I just went home and went to bed at about 11:30 in the morning.I slept for a few hours, then got up and went to the KSS (bike club) meeting at 7pm. There I found some “normal”. Just sitting with friends, friends who understand the crazy passion that got me into this mess to begin with. My normal, day to day friends and coworkers.. they understand I have this passion, but there’s still a difference between them and people who don’t even have to ask if you’re going to ride a bike again. There were a few new guys at the meeting last night, and after the meeting, one of them came over and gave me a gift card to Panera. That was SO SWEET. I want to thank them here, as I don’t know their last names or email addresses.. So Thank you to Geoff, Bruce, Rich and Branden. I hope to get to know you guys better in the coming months.This morning I had another act of pure sweetness. First, a little background info. At work, we have a cafeteria. In the cafeteria is a cook named Jessie. Jessie knows how to make GOOD sausage gravy for breakfast. The head chef doesn’t allow him to do this very often… or maybe there are just days that he doesn’t have time. Every morning, I go to the cafeteria and do a gravy check. If it is plain white gravy, I just get a coffee and go back to my desk. If it is the chunky, sausage gravy, usually the assistant, Leroy or maybe Jessie will hold up a ladel full of gravy and say “Hey Paulaaaa.. goood gravy….” Very cute.My friend, Holly, and I do “Gravy Alerts” in the morning. If one of us goes down and the gravy is good, we come back and give each other a “Good Gravy Alert”… I even made up a song about the gravy and Jessie. We sing it to the tune of “Jessie’s Girl” but instead, it’s “Jessies Grill”…
Jessie is a cook,
Yeah I know he’s been a good cook of mine
But lately something’s changed
It ain’t hard to define
Jessie’s got himself a gravy
And I want to make it mine
You know I wish that I had JESSIE’S GRILL……
So today, I headed to the cafeteria. There were about 10 people in line, but, as usual, I cut the line and peeked at the gravy. Plain white. I headed to the capuccino machine and then went back to my desk. About ten minutes later, I was working and a “to go” plate from the cafeteria appeared on my desk. I looked up and there was Jessie. He said “I saw you looking at the gravy this morning. I though you might need this today so I made some just for you.” My heart melted. I told him he was so sweet and thanked him. After he left I started crying again. I tell ya, I’m a mess; but the caring and support that people are showing me is just overwhelming me more every day.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Paula:
Two things.
1.) Another Rick Springfield lover, yay!!
2.) You’re right, it’s not just gravy. You mean something to lots of people, obviously, and these are people that know you to some degree and they are glad to have you back among them. That is very cool.
I took a bad spill in Dec ‘06, was hobbled for about 6 weeks, and things were out of kilter for a few days after it happened. You should start to feel “normal’ soon. If not, maybe a chat with your medico is in order. You did take a solid thump to the noggin, plus whateverall else that got banged up.
So ok, make it 3.) things. Enjoy the weekend!
April 26th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Tired….worn out…easy to cry…. I’ve had to deal with loss and return to work, and to deal with pain that’s not over in a week or so. The funny thing about pain, even when it’s not severe, is that if it is persistent it will wear you out. With most jobs you can’t take prescription pain meds and work, certainly not drive, so folks return without any relief of the lesser persisting pains, and deal with the stronger pains that come with movements like twisting in your seat. I hurt for weeks after a couple of my surgeries and I sometimes felt that I couldn’t make it through the day alive with the lesser pain that wouldn’t go away even for a few seconds. Your coworkers were so nice to celebrate your return like that. You are blessed with friends like that. You keep counting your blessings, girl, despite the collision, you’ve got some angels watching over you.