Out of the Cubical - When You're Sick

I can't believe it's been a month an a half since I posted on here... Actually, that's not true. I can believe it because I remember what I've been doing for the last month.


ORDERS.

ORDERS.

ORDERS.

ORDERS.

ORDERS.

ORDERS.

ORDERS.

ORDERS.

AND MORE ORDERS...

I posted briefly on my Facebook page about how lucky I am to be working so hard at something I love so much.  Even after weeks after weeks of 80 -90 hours I still never quite feel like it's a job.  I never dread it like I have so many jobs before. 

Today, however was one of those days, that I really wished I had a 9-5.  After Christmas ended, several of my family members came down with an awful cold. I really don't even want to call it a cold, because it's really more like death.  I won't go into all the details but I've never been this sick before. 

Sorry for the bad picture, but I needed some sort of visual,
and a self portrait would not have been as pretty!

Wednesday evening I started to feel a little under the weather, and by Thursday I could barely stand up.  I managed to get Kaleb off to my Grandparent's house since I knew I'd be in no shape to care for him.  I debated going to the doctor, but wasn't sure it was necessary.  I woke up Friday morning with the worse cough ever. Luckily my Grandparent's were available again, and I marched myself down to the urgent care.  The doctor of coarse couldn't do much but offer a prescription cough syrup and rest.

Of coarse even though I had allotted time during the holidays for family and friends when quoting turnaround time on orders, I failed to calculate in this dreaded illness.  So during all of this I was attempting to find time to fit in more orders.  What normally takes me a 1/2 a day to do, took 3 days total. I couldn't focus, couldn't work for more than 10 minutes at a time, but I had promised to get them out, and I know customers were getting antsy. 

It's days like these that although I wouldn't ever want to do anything else, I realize that this career path isn't perfect.  There are flaws to it.  If I was working a 9-5 I'd have called in sick, and someone would have covered for me.  I suppose I really need to learn from this and adjust.  The bottom line is, I always get sick after completing something highly stressful.  When I was in college I knew I'd be at home with a cold a few days after finals.  My body finally relaxes and let's it's guard down and BOOM. SICK.

Next year I plan to have a friend who's willing to send out reply emails saying I'm out for a few days so I don't have to worry about checking them.  I also think after I cut off Christmas orders I'm going to just put the shop on "Vacation." In reality I need a few days of no emails, no nothing around the holidays.  This is more realistic about what to expect from me between Christmas and New Years, and therefore more accurate and fair for both customers and my family.

I'm not complaining here, but for those of you hoping to quit your day job and follow your dreams. Make sure that you take into account these times. For me, it's worth having to work when I'm sick. I'd much rather have it that way, and still be able to pick Kaleb up from school everyday and work from home than anything else.