When Muscles Fail – #MFRWauthor
You’ve seen the covers. Bulging muscles. Hard bodies. Alpha males strong and sleek and ready to do damage. We all like to think there’s a bit of that mystique in us. Especially writers, and I”m no different.
For years I burned the candle at both ends. I could accomplish more in a day than most people could in a week. People didn’t know how I did it. Neither did I. It was just who I was. And I learned not to expect the same from those who worked with me. They couldn’t handle the pace.
And then I got sick. Now people wait for me to catch up when we’re walking into a restaurant. I sleep ten to twelve hours a day. Everything I do is weighed against how much energy I have available and whether expending what little I have is worth it. I lost my job, so I took up writing. And oh my isn’t that a whirlwind of activity I never expected.
The urge to do do do is still shoving against my better judgment. I bite off more than I can chew and crash and burn, spending an entire day in bed. I tell myself, lesson learned. Again. But it’s hard. My mind still runs in overdrive.
One day I’ll grow wise or medical science will fix me.
Strict rules are never any fun. And learning to say no is never easy. I’m still learning how to live with both. Best of luck.
Oh, that’s rough. I’m also a go go go person – it would be very difficult if I had to change. Best of luck!
Thanks Robin. It took me several years to adjust. The difficulty being, most people can’t tell I’m sick, so it took a while for their expectations to lower as well.
Ouch! I hope your health and energy level improves soon. Last fall I had a tiny taste of what this must be like for you. My problems lasted only a couple months, but that was enough to heighten my sympathy for you.
It’s chronic, but it is manageable with meds and strict lifestyle rules.