5 Benefits to Being Sick

I am up at 5a.m. because I went to bed at 8p.m. last night. This would never happen if I was in good health, so I started thinking about the benefits of being sick.  My brain is still foggy at this time of the morning, so thankfully, it didn't require much thought. Here are my top 5.

1. Increased ability to prioritize. Instead of spending the day doing 10 things, I identify the most important thing and try to accomplish it first because I may be in bed for the next 6 hours.
2. More time with the family. Last week when the baby had pink eye, the two of us spent our evenings closed off in a room together because I didn't want the other kids to get sick. We had the best time! We laughed and played and rolled around on the floor together and bonded in a major way.
3. Weight loss. Who doesn't want to lose that baby bump. Not being able to keep food down and surviving on lemon tea and soup has its benefits.
4. A much needed day off. Every time that I am home sick I wonder why I don't take a day off more often.  It is lovely to be home on a Wednesday with no distractions.
5. Sleep. It is almost impossible for a mother to get 8 hours of sleep per night. Even when the baby doesn't wake up because he can't find his bottle and the older boys don't crawl into my bed at 2a.m., I always wake up to check on them. I think that my body is programmed to do the 1a.m. "did someone fall out the bed" check but when you are sick, the body demands that you sleep long and often.

I am sure that I could think of a few more benefits but the baby is awake. Add your top 5.