Monday afternoon

It is 12:41 in the afternoon and I am sitting at the computer in the bedroom instead of the one in my office. Ahh! What is going on? I haven't called into work in probably over a year when I took Jared to the emergency room. I'm sick and have been for about a week. I didn't call in last week and probably should have to give myself a break. I've never been one for calling in sick. I'd rather just suck it up and go in rather than sit at home and think about all the work that's not getting done. I was that way in school as well. And, not just college. I was that way in elementary school. My dad went into work sick about two weeks ago and was sent home by his partners. So, the ole apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Scout is sleeping on the floor next to me and I'm thinking it's time for a nap. All I want to do is sleep lately. I was ready for bed at 7:30pm last night and was thrilled to call in and fall back to sleep until 8:30am. I've been having a bit of a problem with coughing at night though. It doesn't bother me nearly as much as it bothers Jared and Scout. Poor guys keep getting woken up and then trying to get back to sleep only to have me fall out in another coughing fit. I took some robitussin on Sunday around 3am and wasn't okay until Sunday afternoon. Over-the-counter meds and I do not mix. I was loopy and fairly out of it. I can't imagine taking cough syrup with hydrocodone in it. I would be knocked out of the park with loopy.

I'm making some new year's resolutions. One, I want to train Scout. Two, I want to paint again. I have window panes sitting in the garage and blank canvases in the back room. I just need to get to it. I do wish I had a better painting area. The most I ever enjoyed painting was in the apartment on Highland which was filled with natural light. The back room only has one window which is a bummer. I would even like to participate in an art show just to see how it goes. I have to paint first though. So, I started training Scout today. We were working on the "long down" which means that Scout has to lay down for 30 minutes. We start the exercise with me kneeling beside her. Thirty minutes is a long time. However, I realized that I've also been wanting to go to a monastery and take a silent retreat. So, I realized that the time wasn't just wasted. Thirty minutes is a great exercise in being quiet and still and here I was anxious to play on the computer or turn on the TV or read something or call someone or do something, anything...but just be. The phone rang once and I ignored it. It was an interesting exercise in being present, in not distracting myself from me, and enjoying the silence. Thank you, Scout.