How Getting the Flu Was the Highlight of My Week
How Getting the Flu Was the Highlight of My Week
By Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
Author’s note: I originally wrote this article on 13 October 2008, but in light of the recent outbreak of “swine flu”, I thought it might be especially relevant. I also feel it can help us reflect upon what true “strength,” “wealth” and “wellness” are, as well as what we consider to be “lucky” and “unlucky” in life.
I am a workaholic. I don’t seem to stop. Ever. It isn’t funny. I even have made up a name for my workaholic “gremlin”. His name is Bonzo. Bonzo has a very loud voice. My intuition speaks more softly. When Bonzo shouts so loudly that I cannot hear the voice of my intuition (or I hear it but choose not to listen), the inevitable outcome is that I make myself ill.
A week ago Friday I was co-leading a very large event in London… a community day for about 70 life coaches from various parts of Europe. I had been working on it for 6 months with a team of 3 other great coaches. That day, the weather turned really cold and I knew that I was catching a chill but I kept going. The day was a great success, but it was an enormous amount of work, both over the past months and on the day itself. In the back of my mind, I could hear my body saying, Slow down. Create some space for yourself.
On Saturday, the day AFTER the event, I presented at a wellness fair here in Bedford. It was a freezing cold day and they had the doors open all day during the event. I shivered all afternoon. I kept hearing my body screaming, “Slow down, woman!”
On Sunday, the day AFTER that, I walked half an hour in the pouring rain to meet up with a new business contact, and then later I had my daughter over my house for the night because she needed to talk and get some loving care. We were chatting until well after midnight.
In my head, all I could hear was, Lynn, you keep saying you want to slow down. So, why are not stopping?
