Germs
It’s 10 am - Wednesday - and I’m sat sniffling on the settee.
My daughter Ella’s laid in bed ill with cold, my recovering son Ewen packed off to school. The house full of germs. I’ve still half a dozen talks to do (including the Kendal Film and book festivals), and have to somehow devise a plan to deal with a sick child off school - as I need to drive from Sheffield to Taunton for my show tonight.
I’m tempted to take her with me, but have a talk first thing tomorrow in Bournemouth (for the Army - talking about dyslexia and sport), and then another show in Eastbourne in the evening.
I don’t thing sitting in my van will do her any good.
I’m also pretty knackered - as sleeping next to an ill child is never conducive to a good nights sleep. In fact I should get some sleep - instead of writing this.
Someone asked me the other day why people go on expeditions, and how you coped with the exhaustion and stress. I pointed out that most people go away on trips because of the simplicity of life in the mountains, and even the most demanding of expeditions is nothing compared to ordinary life.
Last year I got ill touring and really did myself some damage, by just pushing on like one would on a big route; driving to much, sleeping to little, not eating well, probably living like a great many people do every day. The result was waking up at night unable to breath, utter fatigue, and culminated in a visit to the hospital for a chest X-ray and ECG (I was convinced I was dying). No doubt writing a book, doing a tour, pushing myself a bot too hard in Yosemite and Patagonia didn’t help. Anyway it learnt to apply a lesson I’d learnt long ago soloing to my normal life; treat yourself like someone you love.
Getting Ill on the road is one of my greatest fears, and the paranoia of catching other people’s colds terrifies me…well that is until you know it’s too late, and you know those pesky germs have infected you. Which they have.
But now I know I just have to give myself, like you do soloing El Cap, a little more care and attention.
Image above is great little flickr photoshop set.
— November 12, 2008 10:35 AM
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