permission to be sick

I gave myself permission to be sick yesterday, and today I woke up with a sore throat and headache.

Do you ever make deals with yourself?

I do it all the time.

"You've worked 12 hours today; let's not focus on the freelance article, and sit down and watch American Idol."

"In exchange for cleaning the kitchen and living room, you can go one more day without cleaning your room."

"For 20 minutes of extra sleep in the morning, take a shower tonight."

"If you stay an extra two hours in the office this afternoon, you can work from home tomorrow."

I'm a big believer in delayed gratification, but it feels good when I get some instant stuff too. And for me, instant gratification are these little deals I make with myself.

My past two weekends have been pretty hectic, and every night this week I've only slept 5-6 hours, which is my own fault. But, still.

So yesterday I gave my body a little permission to be sick. Not like full blown illness, but just the ability to be a little sick.

"You know what, it's been a long, busy two weeks. You can get a little sick if you want to."

So I did.