"She's doing the disabled thing again"

I've been working a lot lot, even when I probably shouldn't be. I say yes a lot even when I know it might knock me flat. I like to at least try.

The last few weeks at work (job #1) I've been covering for someone that has left even though I know I can't keep doing it, as well as working job #2. I've also been to a few outrageous parties (whole other story) when I probably should have stayed in bed. The only problem is that missing out on life isn't worth it so I try to mitigate the suffering that will follow. My days have been like this, work-work-work-work-rest/suffer-work-party-suffer-rest-work-work-work-work-work-suffer-party-suffer-suffer -work etc. I'm not complaining, this is the best things have been for years.

Yesterday one of my best friend's flew the coop. She has run off to Tokyo for a couple of years and we had a send off party for her. It's also my birthday this week. I've been slooowing down as the days go by.

So just now I went to wash my socks for work tomorrow. I found myself staring into a washing machine full of unclean towels. Then I looked into the dryer and there is a load of clean and dried boys things. I couldn't find the energy to switch them so I called both of my sons. They usually ignore me these days, now that my needs aren't so acute. They used to help me around when I was ill.

There must have been some sort of tone in my voice that they remembered because they both came running. They found me on the floor of the laundry room where I had sunk from exhaustion. Now that I'm working, the laundry has piled up to epic proportions. I just don't have the energy for it but I need clean socks for tomorrow so I don't repel my coworkers.

As I lay there concealed in mountains of bluejeans and T-shirts mumbling that I need clean socks, I heard my youngest say, "She's doing the disabled thing again."

They snickered at me, rolled me out into the hallway and switched the laundry.