As Jung and I were resting in bed this afternoon, I realized that this is the first time we have been sick simultaneously. With our daughters on vacation, it’s been a challenge trying to take care of ourselves, each other, and our children while we’re both sick.

It’s not what we had envisioned for the day after Christmas. We were both looking forward to having more time to play with S and J after Christmas was over, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Still, we were all able to watch a couple movies and play a video game together and I’m somewhat amazed that Jung and I can still prepare meals, even if they are a little simpler than usual.

This has been another lesson in flexibility for us. We had a certain expectation of what the post-Christmas week was going to be. We could fret and complain that we are not able to do what we had wanted. That, however, would not help us to recover any faster. In fact, from what I understand of the mind-body synergy, it would probably delay our healing. Instead, we’ve let go of our expectation. We’re listening to our bodies, having fun with our daughters when we feel able, and resting when we need to in order to heal.

I’m grateful for the health that we have and the patience of S and J as they wait for us to recover. I’m also grateful for the reminder that every experience contains some wisdom, no matter how unwelcome that experience may be. In this case, it is the wisdom of letting go of expectations.