Let’s say you signed up for a health activist writers’ blogging challenge to write 30 posts in 30 days.

Let’s also say that you had major surgery 3 1/2 weeks ago.

And to earn extra points, you walked three miles and had three healthcare appointments, two of your own and one of your daughters.

You have not driven much lately but today you drove to downtown and back twice. The final trip home was at 5pm on a Friday, the usual bad traffic, and a teen in the car who is playing along with her tunes using drumsticks on the dashboard.

You get home and your husband tries to engage you in conversation. You find that you are unable to communicate coherent thoughts. He understands and gives you space.

Then you have dinner and watch a video because it is family night. It is your husband’s turn to choose the movie and thankfully he picks something light. He has a rep for choosing the cod liver oil type films meant to impart a meaningful lesson to your daughter. He is annoying that way. When she was 8, he chose ‘Chariots of Fire’ and then kept getting annoyed with her for repeatedly raising her hand to ask questions. For some strange reason, she did not understand the subplot involving anti-semitism. Also, the frenetic pacing of the movie, especially the slow-motion running scenes was too much for her. She did however, like Vangelis’ score and downloaded it to her iPod. 

Supposing you did all of these things, you perhaps would not hesitate in your bedtime routine even when your husband notes, ‘But it’s only eight-thirty’.

You will finger type a post on your Smartphone, secure in the knowledge that you are taking care of yourself.

As a healthcare activist, my sign reads, ‘Women of the world, rest when you are tired.’