Falling Anvils

Friends,

Growing up, I watched a lot of Looney Tunes. I remember vividly the Roadrunner and Coyote episodes where the coyote would inevitably have an anvil fall on his head. As a child, I disliked those episodes. "Mean Roadrunner," I thought. However, I also somehow equated this to the "hard lessons" we sometimes have to learn. I pondered, "why didn't the coyote stop trying to catch the Roadrunner?" If he had made a different choice, he could've avoided the pain of the anvil smashing his noggin.

I've been back from Paris for a week now, and, if I'm being honest, it was a difficult reentry. I was très fatiguée.

I thought I was being so clever by "clearing my work schedule" for the day we arrived home.

However, I couldn't clear the kids off my schedule. So, after arriving home at 9 am, I was off to the races by 3 pm when school let out! With an unusual overnight flight back, plus jet lag, I was full throttle on 3 of 6 cylinders and exhausted by Tuesday night. Enter full-on migraine on Wednesday morning--possibly the Universe's way of taking care of what I had not.

I spent two more days lying down, fighting a fever and sleeping.

Watching my reaction to my malaise was most illuminating. First, I was insulted that I was unwell. Then, a moment of hubris, thinking that I had finally learned a lesson by "clearing a day for my arrival," was, in reality, only 6 hours.

It took great effort to fight the impulse to beat myself up. So instead, I took notes for next time. "Schedule a softer landing." Hopefully, the Universe won't have to drop any anvils on my head next time. Instead, "this coyote" could make a different choice and break from chasing the Roadrunner.

Well rested and recovered now,

Sending you all so much love and wishing you "easy lessons,"

Kari

"meep meep"