Listen
‘Listen to your body!’
I have heard those words directed at me before and I have even quoted that very same phrase to others.
So why do I find it so difficult to live by them?
Yesterday I was living through a fog, this fog was not of the outdoor variety but the kind that confines itself inside my head. It was not the first time, so I know what I should do - GIVE IN for a couple of hours and sleep! Instead I always struggle on with the task in hand….. not a good choice of word there girl! 
It was almost lunchtime and the house was dusted, polished and vacuumed. The shower and the bathroom sparkled, the washing was complete and the kitchen counter cleared and the floor washed and clean enough to eat your lunch off.
The head had not cleared so I decided to make a Cafetiere of coffee and a sandwich for my lunch and go put the feet up for an hour. I boiled the kettle as I made my sanger, it was sufficiently off the boil when I added it to the ground coffee in the Cafetiere. I had forgotten the long handled spoon to stir the mix and in turning, I caught the Cafetiere in some way…. Yes, you guessed! I put out my left hand to stop the fall but the liquid went all over my hand and actually scalded me from knuckles to fingertips!
So it was a hands and knees job to clean up one cup of hot half brewed coffee… it went everywhere! The counter, the cooker the washer and right across the floor. My jumper, trousers, socks and shoes were not left out of the brown shower! Once I had washed the floor and put my clothes in to wash I sat one handed to have my lunch with the wounded one steeping in ice cold water.
It was a timely reminder of how dangerous hot liquids are, especially when young children are about. I did eventually give in, and went to bed for the afternoon. I slept on and off until 8am today.
Thankfully the fog has cleared and although tender, there is no real damage done to my hand.
Next time I WILL LISTEN!
Rummuser said,
January 26, 2010 at 11:03 am
The next time, stay focused please. Things could have been worse. Be very careful, particularly when you live alone and with a new shock absorber. The danger to the replaced hip in such situations is always high as we tend to forget that we need to be careful in our turning, twisting etc.
Grannymar said,
January 26, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Ramana - I will try!
Maynard said,
January 26, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Grannymar, take care of yourself. You are the only contact I have in Ireland.
Nick said,
January 26, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I hope you are now less foggy and less coffee-saturated. Very true that sometimes you just have to accept that your mind or body need some rest before you carry on any further. But I’ve often tried to push them too far myself.
momma said,
January 26, 2010 at 3:20 pm
The amazing thing about floors, counters, dishes, and etc. is that they don’t run off if you leave them for a few hours, even a day or two before cleaning them up. If your body gives you a sign of something you need then by all means act on it. You can see when you don’t it makes more work for you to do as well, as in this case, a sore hand. We do not have to be ‘Mr. Clean’ or ‘Super Woman’. We don’t have to pass the white glove test to prove we are capable of taking care of things. We just have to enjoy our lives with love, happiness, and decent health. Just rest when we have to. Work on a favorite thing to do to keep the creative juices flowing. Then spread your knowledge, caring, and dreams with others.
momma said,
January 26, 2010 at 4:41 pm
In addition I am now back to December 9th , 2009 in my visit. There have been some healthy laughs but also I must confess I cried as I read ‘A simple Lesson’ and ‘Quest’. I will continue to visit backwards.
Grannymar said,
January 26, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Maynard - I do try!
Nick - The fog has cleared today, the clothes are clean and I am taking it fairly easy today.
Momma - I felt like walking away and leaving the mess yesterday, but knew I would only have to face it this morning before breakfast. I was glad this morning that I had made the effort.
Enjoy your journey back in time with me.
Helen McGinn said,
January 26, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Aaaargh! This is the kind of thing that happens to me when tired. I’m sorry, how awful; I hope your hand isn’t too sore. The thought of that ice water makes me cringe, I’ve had to do that and it was worse than the sodding burn! Sending you good karma!
xx
Grannymar said,
January 26, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Helen, I will live! The knuckles and between the fingers are tender, a good coating of Atrixo hand cream and cotton gloves for the next few nights should do the trick.
By the way, the Atrixo is what I used on my hip scar once it had healed and the on the surrounding skin which reacted to the pressure dressings.
wisewebwoman said,
January 27, 2010 at 12:33 am
Oh poor you, GM. For me i’m beginning to realise the meaning of ’slow down’. It took a lot of dropping and smashing and bumping. I do things at a 100mph. I have to work very, very hard at reducing the speed. And it could be my life (falls downstairs taking 2 at a time, falls UPSTAIRS tripping on steps).
And like my granny used to say to me: “Housework will always wait but the kids will grow up and be gone.”
And boy I can sympathize on the coffee mess. It gets bloody everywhere!!
I command the hand to heal.
XO
WWW
Kay Dennison said,
January 27, 2010 at 3:11 am
Ouch!!!!! Heal quick!!!!
Baino said,
January 27, 2010 at 9:40 am
Ouchies! Scalding hurts and for such a long time. I’m more breaker of ‘things’ than injuring myself. Hope you’re keeping it iced! There’s an unwritten rule that you always spill something messy just after a super clean.
Grannymar said,
January 27, 2010 at 10:31 am
WWW - Dry coffee is bad enough, but the wet stuff… Yeuk!
Kay - I am on the way.
Baino - Maybe I need to give up cleaning!
Kate said,
January 27, 2010 at 11:13 am
I am guilty of working through things too - but not with such disastrous consequences…… Good job its a whole new day - enjoy!
Grannymar said,
January 27, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Kate, I enjoy every day… well most of the time!
gaelikaa said,
January 27, 2010 at 7:33 pm
You poor thing, that’s terrible. I burnt my hand last month while I was cooking and it was agonising. I have to make dough every single day so it was very difficult and I really feel for you.
The nice thing is that your attitude is so good that I just know you’ll be fine in no time. Keep well. Thinking of you!
Grannymar said,
January 27, 2010 at 7:44 pm
gaelikaa - in the scheme of things it is very minor and I am a tough old bird.
Brighid said,
January 27, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Ouch! I’m sorry that you came away with a scauld. Is it just part of the ageing process? I’ve developed the ability to bump into things, and am getting way to good at it.
Grannymar said,
January 27, 2010 at 11:18 pm
Brighid, a moment of distraction I think. Are bruises not a new fashion? I have several on my arms and legs…. I have no idea how I got them.
stwidgie said,
January 28, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Oh, GM, I am glad it wasn’t worse! I felt like I was re-reading my own story. On my fourth ever day of teaching as a graduate student, I was brewing coffee into a funnel cone perched on top of a thermos. It toppled off and the water flowed over the back of my left hand. When I ran it under cold water, the skin just came away. “Uh-oh,” I remember thinking. A trip to the ER, a wonderful soothing saline bath, a story to tell my French students, a new coffeemaker, a freckled patch on my hand to this day.
I have also been impressed at the power of some spills to find the “maximum angle of dispersion” as they used to say on Star Trek.
Glad you’re okay. Please take it easy. (Then tell me how!) ;^)
Grannymar said,
January 28, 2010 at 3:18 pm
stwidgie - another couple of days and I should be back to normal. ‘Take it easy’ - what is that?
Marianna said,
January 29, 2010 at 12:03 am
Ah yes, I know that little voice well.
I find it gets louder if you don’t listen the first few times!
Glad that it wasn’t more serious.
Grannymar said,
January 29, 2010 at 12:05 am
Marianna, I think I need to listen more.
Geri Atric said,
January 29, 2010 at 10:26 am
Oh dear GM. I come back after 3 days away (it’s friday 29th today) to find that you have been putting yourself through the wars…!
I am glad the long sleep helped and that your hand is not badly scalded.
Grannymar said,
January 29, 2010 at 11:05 am
Geri,
New day, the sun is peeping through even if it is cold. Now I better take slowly as it is time to make coffee.
Hang on a minute… what happened the sun? We have hailstones!
Alice said,
January 29, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Hubby has disputed my advice that cutting off air to a scald or minor burn can diminish the pain. But it is true, isn’t it? As evidenced by the cotton glove reference? Wearing the glove cuts off the air and decreases the pain, right? Please agree, Grannymar, I win very few arguments with Hubby.
Grannymar said,
January 29, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Alice - You may well be correct. I use the cotton gloves in bed when I have slathered on the Atrixo hand cream (I put a coat on my feet too and cover them with cotton socks). The gloves and socks keep the cream where I want it and not on the sheets. It works well for me.