First of all, I apologize for not posting yesterday, but I was under the weather. That is an interesting phrase, “under the weather.” The sun beats down on us, rain pours down, the fog rolls in not over, and we experience serious snow fall (presumably a fall occurs from above). Therefore, we are almost always under the weather, no?
The history. Like many of our idioms, “under the weather, has its roots in maritime lore. When a sailor was seasick, they were placed below deck to recover. The phrase actually started as “under the weather rail,” but was shortened to “under the weather,” for obvious reasons (Grammarist.com). I rarely feel “under the weather,” – most times I am legitimately sick, but once a month or so, I just need to sleep all day to recharge. Thank you for your understanding, and although I had another quotation on tap, my soporific predicament reminded my of one of favorite proverbs:
“Fatigue is the best pillow”- Mexican proverb
Kind of a lay-up that a culture that invented the midday “siesta” would coin this adage, but I have to say, I have taken advantage of the early afternoon nap on many occasions whether I was fatigued or not. Sometimes, that nap would leave me even more groggy, but that was more indicative of what was scheduled for after the nap than the actual efficacy of my slumber.
Yesterday, I was fatigued. I dropped Eileen off at work, and came back and re-racked. Re-racking was a practice I invented in college. After my 8:00 am classes, especially calculus and economics (not recommended for an English major), I would come back to my dorm and go back to sleep. The etymology is clear. I had left my rack to start the day, but I felt I was not sufficiently rested for what the day had to offer, so I would rack again, or re-rack. Unfortunately, adult life does not offer this opportunity very often.
After my re-rack, I performed some job searching, some household chores, and attended a Zoom meeting to “onboard” with the company that assigns school subs in the area. I then went downtown to eat lunch and procure a new dentist. The cafe where I wanted to eat was closed, so I ordered some subs for a later pick-up and drove closer to Eileen’s work to wait for her. I did stop at Dollar Tree and Rose’s Discount (a smaller Walmart for those not familiar) but did not find what I was looking for.
I only elaborate on my day to show how untaxing it was. I was not roofing, grading a set of essays, or participating in the Tour De France. I don’t know. Maybe, it is all the change. Maybe, it was being on the go, in some capacity, for the better part of six weeks. Maybe, it was the disappointment of the closed eatery or neither discount store having graph paper, but after consuming my sub (cheesesteak, of course), I could not stay awake. At 3:00. Yes, 3:00 PM, and yes, after already re-racking for an hour and a half, I fell asleep listening to my audio book. Not a commentary on the book, itself.
Eileen left for our daily walk; I slept. I woke up to watch the soccer game; I drifted in and out. I went to bed immediately after the game ended, and I slept (with my CPAP, no easy task) like a rock all night. I guess I was carrying around the pillow of fatigue like Linus carries his blanket.
I am not complaining. When you are tired, you need to sleep. In the past, I have slept almost everywhere. I have slept in a bathtub, on the toilet, and even standing up in a closet. Many of those “rests” have been involuntary and have been aided by zealous alcohol consumption, but they were solid rests, nonetheless. All of them came after industry or revel or at least some sincere socialization. I call this good fatigue.
I am a huge proponent of good fatigue. Living your life with vigor and passion wears you out. Sometimes, worry and introspection wears you out. These are noble pursuits leading to a deserved fatigue. One of my favorite comments to Eileen before I head off to bed is, “I have given this day all I have.” On occasion, like yesterday, it is sarcastic and unwarranted, but mostly, it is true. When you have given the day- any day – all you have (I leave it to you to define those parameters), I want you to rest assured (pun intended) and let fatigue be a warm and comfortable pillow.
See you later for Food Focus Friday,
Love and laughter,
P.