2018 hasn’t exactly started off the way that I thought it would. I actually spent some of New Year’s Day in the Emergency Room, because I woke up with back pain that hurt so badly I couldn’t go back to sleep. I’m still not exactly sure what caused it – it seems like it was some sort of pulled muscle situation – but luckily it wasn’t anything major and the pain did go away eventually.

And then I was really excited to have this past Monday off work. I was looking forward to the three day weekend, had dinner plans for a friend’s birthday, hoped to get some serious blogging done, maybe take some pictures… but you’ll note this post is picture-less, because I woke up Saturday morning coughing with a cold.

I’ve talked before about I need to be very, very careful about getting sick. Just like I have to be careful when I get the flu (reminder to PLEASE get your flu shot!), I also have to be careful when I get a cold. Because my lungs aren’t very strong, a little cough can turn into pneumonia or a collapsed lung if I’m not careful. So I had to cancel all of my plans this weekend, and I’ve just stayed home, resting, and drinking lots and lots of water.

I know that a cold isn’t as serious for everyone else as it is for me, but I think that the underlying message of being careful and taking care of yourself is still an important one for everyone! Especially with social media, it’s so easy to see everyone else doing so many fun things, and make you feel like you’re missing out on something amazing if you have to cancel and stay home. But I think we all know by now (or we all should know!) how many of those pictures are posed, or don’t really show the full picture. We can’t constantly be comparing our lives to someone else’s – it’s important to put your own wants and needs first! As much as I wanted to go to dinner to celebrate my friend’s birthday,  I know that she understands that my health has to take priority, so that I can get better and not have to miss other, future dinners! Taking care of yourself is taking the long-term view, rather than the short-term one, and sometimes that’s hard to do, but it’s completely worth it.