Whenever I feel sick, the one thing I most want to do is crawl into bed. 

And stay there. 

All the way until I feel like myself again.

But that’s not how life works, is it?  There are many reasons one can’t do that.  In my case, they start with about thirty chickens waiting to get out of their coop to start their day with a drink of water.  The reasons continue on through the eight rabbits who would like to move outside for some time in the sun, the twenty odd fish who swim furiously back and forth, begging for food whenever someone passes them, and the two dogs who sit patiently with oh-so-sad eyes glancing very meaningfully towards their empty dog dishes.  

Then there are the inanimate responsibilities, things like the laundry piles threatening to spill out into the hallway, and the dirty dishes stacked above the dishwasher (but not in it).  These are more easily overlooked by most family members, and likely will continue to just grow until I deal with them.

Giving into feeling ill right now also means special considerations because of COVID.  We all immediately go into questioning mode.  Is it just a cold?  Or is it COVID? 

In the end, my daughter’s special plans for today are postponed.  Right now, it seems especially wrong to have a friend come over if there is someone sick in the house. 

She is disappointed.  She had planned all week, even when she had this same bug for about two days earlier in the week. 

But then, my daughter took it upon herself to turn this whole bad day for her into an exceptionally kind gift for her mother.

She volunteered to help out with all those things that still have to be done.  She did the chicken watering, the egg collecting, the rabbit moving, the dog feeding, the dishwasher emptying, the laundry swapping.  (The fish might have been skipped for a day, but they are fine.)  Her day was largely empty, and she chose to spend it helping her mother feel better. What an unexpected silver lining.