Sick Days and Sundays by Dorothy Courtis

 Great, she thought. My very first contribution to More than Writers and I've got flu. My head is blurry and I maybe should have done this ages ago.

It's hard being human, isn't it? And fallible, frail and prone to... well, all the stuff this world throws at us. Today, my To-do list has two important things on it (or to write it in what my friend Julie calls LOUD LETTERS, IMPORTANT THINGS).

Makes it worse, doesn't it? Having IMPORTANT THINGS to do when you really don't feel up to it, or something's happened to get in the way.

What doesn't help: 

1. Beating yourself up. I'm good at this. But it will just add feeling miserable on top of feeling unwell, or overwhelmed or whatever.

2. Forcing yourself to knuckle down and just do it. You'll feel worse afterwards and will not do any kind of a good job. Maybe even have to go back later and unpick the mess you've made...

What does help?

1. Acceptance. Yes. Join the human race. Fallible, frail and prone to...

2. Be kind to yourself. Whatever you need - I'm partial to hot blackcurrant when I've got flu. And a couple of easy-read novels on my Kindle. And a fleecy throw over my knees even though that makes me feel like a real old lady...

3. But most of all, Jesus. Crazy how easily we forget that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). And if we won't admit to our weakness, how is he ever to get a chance to display his strength and love and compassion...

So often we think it's all up to us - to hit our word count every day, get that piece of writing finished, get it published, hit the top rankings on Amazon, star at conferences and author events... We so easily get caught in the rush and hustle, narrowing our focus on our goals and targets. And losing our joy in the process.

That's where Sunday comes in. Our Lord knew we needed help to climb off the treadmill so he gave us Sundays. And for daft folk like me who don't always wisely use the time-off he gives me, along comes an unexpected sick day or two of enforced rest. Or that's what I'm telling myself!

Dorothy Courtis writes and is published as Dorothy Stewart. After a career in book publishing and producing a bunch of non-fiction titles, she's now delighting in writing fiction. When the Boats Come Home tells the story of the 1921 Fishermen's Revival. The Mizpah Ring trilogy is a family saga based in her native Scotland. The new book, Stitch-Up, out shortly, is a murder mystery set in Somerset, and is the second in a new series. All Dorothy's books are available on Amazon as print and e-books.