State Shift

I am in a lousy place right now. I'm a few days post-flu, trying to get caught up on work and tired. I haven't slept all night in my bed for five days now. Each night something interferes. Last night I couldn't sleep through my husband's constant coughing. I started out being sympathetic, REALLY, but by 3, I was just chanting (albeit silently) PLEASE GO DOWNSTAIRS. PLEASE GO DOWNSTAIRS. Sigh.

He isn't telepathic . . which, for the most part, I consider a TRUE blessing. So, finally, I got up and went downstairs.

I thought about going to the comfy couch but knew that if any of the other sick people in the house were up, they would want to be in the living room, so I went in and laid down on my oldest son's futon bed instead.

Note to self: the bars of the bed frame are much more noticeable to an almost 50 yr old's skeleton than a 15 yr old's. I slept . . fitfully, shall we say. But I slept.

Then I got up and as I've worked, I watched others sleep, watch tv, nap, and I've heated hot packs, checked temperatures, expressed sympathy, suggested naps, brought ice water and REALLY focused on NOT getting bitchy.

I am losing the battle.
I wanna sit down on the floor and throw a fit.
I wanna cry and yell unfair, unkind things at people who don't deserve them.
I wanna sit on the couch and nap when I feel like it instead of work on assignments.
Sigh.

SO, it's time for a "State Shift", a term that I've come to know means changing your mental status from where you know it shouldn't be to where you would prefer. I am doing this through a relationship "meme" that I found on another blog site. I thought it might make me focus on the better stuff going on in my life instead of the pissy little crabby details I am seeing now. Wish me luck.

How long have you been together?
My husband and I have been married for 26.5 years. He was 30 and I was 23 when we got married.
How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Heehee. Well, . . . . I knew him as my doctor for a few weeks. I knew his as a potential life mate for 16 days between first official date and getting engaged. We didn't waste any time, did we?
Who asked whom out?
That's a tough one. I called him with the intent of asking him out but before I worked up the nerve, he asked me.
How old are each of you?
He's 57, I'm 49.
Whose siblings do you see the most?
We live 2000 plus miles away from our respective siblings, so neither of us actually. However, when we lived in Indiana, we definitely saw his more than mine. I only have one and he has three. We lived an hour from mine and in the same city as his.
Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Hmmm. I am guessing he would answer this question differently than I would. I guess, as a couple, one of our hardest issues has been food. He tends to want to follow some pretty unusual or challenging diets/eating patterns that I don't enjoy and usually have to pull the children kicking and screaming on but other than that . . . we agree on almost everything so we have few issues.
Are you from the same home town?
No, our hometowns were both in Indiana, but about an hour apart.
Who is smarter?
We're equal but show it in vastly different ways.
Who is the most sensitive?
He's a man. Isn't it obvious?
Me.
Where do you eat out most as a couple?
A local, family owned diner called the Kettle Inn.
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
We've never left the U.S. . . other than a honeymoon in the Bahamas, so I would say moving to Oregon qualifies.
Who has the craziest exes?
Neither of us. We have old boy/girlfriends but they haven't been a part of our lives for so long, it doesn't matter. After 26.5 years of marriage, who remembers them anyway?
Who has the worst temper?
He does, for sure. It doesn't appear very often--mine is much more likely to pop up, but when it does, GET OUT OF THE WAY.
Who does the cooking?
I'd do more (actually would love to do a lot more) but he never likes what I make, so he does.
Who is the neat-freak?
Him, him, him. He's not my obsessive/compulsive parents but I know he would be much, much, much neater if I wasn't around to screw it up.
Who is more stubborn?
Me.
So there.
Who hogs the bed?
Neither. We both scooch to the middle so we can touch as many and as much places as possible and stay there most of the night.
Who wakes up earlier?
Definitely him. I prefer to go to sleep about 2 and wake at 10 and he'd prefer to go to sleep at 10 and wake at 6. We usually meet somewhere in the middle.
Where was your first date?
A pool party at my house and then out to the movies.
Who is more jealous?
Me, a 100 times over.
How long did it take to get serious?
We could have measured it in hours.
Who eats more?
He does. Who gains the weight? I do. It sucks.
Who does the laundry?
I did for all of the years when kids were in diapers and 16 outfits a day. Now, he does. He is MUCH better at it than I ever was.
Who’s better with the computer?
Me because I spend WAY more time on it.
Who drives when you are together?
ALWAYS him. If you see me behind the wheel, assume that he is terribly ill, unconscious, a clone or has a gun to his head.

Well hey, that helped. I am chuckling now. Of course, the image of gun to head probably shouldn't make me smile THIS much. Just kidding darlin. I love you to pieces. I'll hang in for another 26.5 years ok?