I don’t write about this often, but today feels like the right time to talk about something I struggle with constantly: the need to rest.
I have this awful habit of working myself to death. Whether it’s scheduling too many appointments too close together, running too many errands, or trying to do everything around the house- I just don’t know when (or how) to quit.
This past week, my aunt came to visit (as some of you might remember from my last post), and I basically ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make everything perfect.
She hadn’t been to the house since my grandma passed in 2023- before my car accident and my DRG removal in 2024. My uncle, her husband, hadn’t been here since before my mom died in 2020. So, of course, we wanted to impress.
We cleaned the house, the grill, and just about everything else we could think of. We grilled out, played board games, and spent time reminiscing. I taught them how to play Uno Flip and we played a couple of rounds of Scrabble. We looked through their trip photos, swapped stories, and maybe even found inspiration for a few adventures of our own in the future.
They even brought us souvenirs: a beautiful blast fragment from the Crazy Horse Monument in South Dakota and a National Bark Ranger tag for Bear and Luna from Olympic National Park.
As much as I adore my aunt, though, I’ll admit- having her here absolutely wrecked my sleep schedule. I’m not used to being up at 5 a.m. and going to bed at 1 a.m. or later. My body is tired, and I know it. But I keep pushing anyway, trying to keep up appearances and pretend my body is as healthy as I wish it were.
(Obviously, there’s a reason this blog is called The Crippled Cryptid.)
Still, I keep putting on the front.
As a thank-you for being good hosts, my aunt bought us tickets to China Lights in Milwaukee next week. I’ve been following that event online for ages, so I’m beyond excited- and yes, I’ll be taking a ridiculous amount of photos.
But for now, I’m trying to give myself a couple of days to rest, relax, and reset.
…Or at least, I’m telling myself that. Because even though she left yesterday, I still got up early, went to the food bank, hit the grocery store, and kept going until my body felt like it was going to drop. That’s just what I do: I keep going.
I’m not sure whether to call that perseverance or stupidity this week.
So, if you’re feeling just as run down as I am- please, take the time to rest. You deserve it.
I’m hoping I can take my own advice.
But I’m on the level of stubbornness that makes even the gods stop and ask, “What the fuck?”
Stay safe, drink water, and stay spooky.
-Sky 🖤 The Crippled Cryptid
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