It was six months in the planning and another cool adventure to look forward to. After three stressful weeks, a change in the weather and it being so close to Christmas, of course I’d get a disastrous energy sucking flu. Even the spirit of Christmas couldn’t save me now.
The thoughts of even getting on a plane were enough to make me want to curl up in a ball in my fort, switch on the heating and turn my phone to airplane mode. The promise of celebrating my sister’s 30th PLUS time away from my desk kept me from that weird scenario.
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| Sun Over Amsterdam |
Arriving in 9degree Amsterdam in the rain could’ve very well pushed me over the edge. Thankfully, two hours after arriving, dried off shoes and some chill out time in our downtown apartment, I was feeling like a version of myself again.
Mind over matter is true to a point. If you have to get on with it, you will. This is exactly what I did and, this truth actually helped me start to feel better. I made some wonderful memories and even avoided moaning for long enough to see part of the city and enjoy a crepe or two.
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| Like Bicycles, Amsterdam? |
So, why the change and what did I actually learn this weekend?
*Know your limits. You can do anything, not everything. This time, I gave the bike ride a miss for fear of buckling myself or knocking someone else into the Singel.
*The “once in a lifetime, I’ll probably not visit this place again” motivation helped me drag my ass to Anne Frank’s house even though I was dying.
*Doing things for other people makes you feel better both mentally and physically. Thankfully, I could celebrate an important milestone for my sister while not making it about me or my flu.
*When your body needs to rest, it most definitely will eventually, at some point when it has time to catch up. Hence, why I’m sitting in bed smothered in Vick’s Vapour Rub writing this blog.
Case and point…. You can’t avoid pain or feeling rubbish but you can choose how you deal with it.