Krankheit

As the title of this post suggests, I'm sick.  For those keeping track at home, krankheit is, indeed, the opposite of gesundheit.  And some of you just knew that. ♥

This is the first time I've been sick since opening my door (and closing it for clientele privacy).  I didn't grow up with the best examples of how to deal with illness.  Short of pneumonia, if a soldier is sick, they still go to work.  If a massage therapist is sick, we have to close up shop.  This hurts, because our natural inclination is to take care of people.  Writing the cancellation notice was more painful than my raspy throat.  My clients are very understanding, and for that I am fortunate and grateful. 

Instead of sitting around and sulking, I'm taking the time to catch up on some Massamio blogs, perusing the Massage Therapy Foundation, working out kinks in my website (and removing Neocities' groundfloor, so it's going to get worse before it gets better), and just taking care of myself.  I've read accounts that claim a daily 20-minute bath, while you're sick, can reduce the time you spend under the weather.  I find baths to be a boring waste of time, and a huge waste of water.

"I've seen your twitter sermons.  I'm REALLY worried about you wasting water."

My point still stands!  In any case, the last time I wasn't feeling well, I followed that advice, and I got through it with barely a tickle and less-painful coughing.  This is very anecdotal, so what does the research have to say about it?  While I'm not sulking about being sick, I'll do a bit of digging and find out.

Off-Topic - National Adoption Month

It's #NationalAdoptionMonth, again. If you're thinking about starting a family, your child might already be waiting for you. @AdoptUSKids

— Jessica McCormick (@GesundhtMassage) November 1, 2013

In business classes, we're cautioned about mixing personal and professional interests.  We'll inevitably step on someone's toes, at some point, and that's bad for business.  My business is too new for me to say, "I don't care," but here it is:  I don't care.

November is National Adoption Month.  I come from a very blended family.  My paternal uncle is adopted, my grandparents helped raise me and my brother until my father remarried (it takes a village!), said marriage giving us a great step-family, and I can't count the number of "uncles" I had growing up in the military.  The holidays were a blast.

I had the opportunity to share this with a class while attending UW-Green Bay.  The assignment was to present our respective heritage.  I could sum it up with "military & geek culture", but that wouldn't fly.  I went over the usual stuff, proclaiming what a typical American mutt I am, but the two most important factors were my military and step family.  Nobody in either of these camps had any obligation in my upbringing, but they were there, they're part of who I am, and I can't imagine my life any other way.

Following my presentation, a classmate caught up with me after class.  Her boyfriend had two children from a previous relationship, and she wanted to hear more about what it's like being a step-child.  We chatted for a bit, and my answer to her final question sums up the experience for me.
Q:  Do you get along with her?
A:  She's my mom.  We have our ups & downs, but she's my mom.

I could have said, "Oh, yeah!  We're like this!" and done the little finger-linking thing, but that would have fallen short of the truth.  I wouldn't risk providing any false hope or horror, and the military provides a special form of strife to add to the teenage years.  And you know what?  My friends had similar issues with their own families; biological, military, or other.

I don't have the 1950's, white-picket fence, 2.5 (point five...?) children image of what makes a family.  That certainly isn't what my family ever looked like, and I won't tolerate any insult to my mom insisting that "it isn't the same" unless I bear the child myself.  I don't know if I'll have 2 children or 5, but I don't plan on taking 9 months out to make one.  If it happens, my husband and I will be happy, and we'll be especially curious as to what sort of creature our genetics will create, but this isn't a prerequisite for family.  For all we know, our first child might be waiting for us as I type this blog.

Learn about adoption and foster care:
Adopt.org
AdoptUSKids.org
- How to Foster
AmericanAdoptions.com
LittleCity.org/foster
NationalAdoptionDay.org (November 23rd)