Cabin Fever

I have a crazy case of cabin fever. My 8-year-old son has had a high fever all week, so I have been holed up in my house. I want to run away somewhere--anywhere!

Today I asked myself, "Why am I so determined to go away?"

My answer came after a few minutes of sitting with myself.

The dust bunnies under my furniture mock me. "You're failing at housekeeping!" they shout. Closely related to the dust bunnies are the layers of dust on the floorboards. They chant, "You suck! You suck!" The disheveled piles in my laundry room cabinets hiss, "You should just give up...." Everywhere I turn in my house, I see my failures.

Yet I don't have the energy or motivation to do anything to shut them up or get rid of them! I have spent most of the week nursing my son, and the rest of it plugging my ears to keep out the drone of my failures, repeating to myself, "I'm not listening. I'm not listening."

I figure I have two choices: 1) Run! (Of course, that would leave a sick child and two preschoolers unsupervised...probably not too wise.)...Or... 2) Change how I view these supposed "failures."

Option 2 requires some effort, but I think I can do it. What if my "failures" become opportunities instead? Recently, I decided to set aside Wednesdays to work on projects (the rest of my chores are scheduled for other days). Every time I see a failure, I can add it to my list of potential projects (I love lists!!), a proper place for them to reside.

So far my list contains "Dust under furniture," "Dust floorboards," and "Organize laundry room cabinets." I'm sure I will have a nice long list before long. Then when project day comes around, I will have plenty of choices.

Once the mocking, shouting, chanting, and hissing stops, I can remember the joy and peace that my home contributes to my life, and I won't want to leave.