“Mama,” I heard the soft voice of my oldest. “Mama, wake up. Daniel’s puking and crying.” I slowly opened my eyes and saw the blurry 2 at the beginning of the time on the digital clock.

I hurried to the other end of the house where my youngest sat, covered in what was left of his supper, in front of the toilet. In true mom fashion, I began the clean-up process with washcloths, towels, Clorox, and Lysol. Carefully I helped him get a shower, change clothes, and make his nest on the couch while I made coffee and started my day way too early.

I scrolled on Facebook and wondered why so many of my friends were up at that hour. I dozed in between bathroom runs and clean up. Once the rest of the world woke up, I made calls and sent texts canceling church responsibilities and lunch plans. And because Daniel could explode at any point, I had no choice to but to stay inside in my chair.

Anyone who knows me well knows I don’t like to sit still. At any point I have a dozen projects going on and never run out of jobs to do, but this unplanned sick day put me in a unique position where I had to sit. I had to stop. I had to slow down.

So, I researched publishing companies, made lists of prospective writing opportunities, and explored avenues I don’t take the time to navigate. I caught up on laundry and dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and sent emails I usually neglect. What seemed like a wasted day of sickness actually turned into a day filled with productivity, excitement, and hope.

Thankfully my little guy is feeling better, but I learned a valuable lesson through his day of being sick: plans can be broken, and life still goes on. I keep my life planned and try so hard to pack tons of activities and people into my days, but sometimes it’s okay to have a sick day.

We all need to rest. We all need to regroup and take the time to get excited about our areas of interest. And we all need to be flexible because puke happens, and when it does, the whole day changes whether we like it or not. But sometimes we have to go with the flow. Literally. But bigger than that, we need to make the most of changes that enter our days. My challenge to you this week: make the most of your sick days and stay open to new directions.

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