Not all expectant mother’s experience morning sickness. Of those that do, some woman are nearly incapacitated by severe and persistent symptoms. While others experience bothersome but manageable symptoms. Luckily, I fall into the latter group of expectant mothers. While I can function quite well through the day, motivation certainly sways with the waves of nausea that come and go throughout the day. Some days the nausea is kept at bay with small and frequent snacks but other days the nausea never goes away. I was having one of those days last week — nothing could quell the queasiness.
It was one of my busier school days: I taught three ninety minutes classes and spent my only planning period grading homework and writing final exams. My second class of the day was Culinary Arts. I started the Culinary Arts program my second year of teaching. It’s a small program and receives no funding from the school. Because of this my students are required to bring the ingredients needed each week. Usually my students do a great job bringing their assigned ingredients every week. On this particular day we were going to make Chicken Fajitas. We had bell peppers, onions, tortillas, and seasonings … but we didn’t have chicken … so we weren’t able to cook.
I had been feeling nauseous all day so when my students ask if they could spend the last thirty minutes of class time outside, I was easily persuaded. I took my students out to the practice football field (it’s very small) and I sat at a picnic table while my students played kickball. It was a fairly warm breezy day and as the wind tousled my hair, my nausea slowly subsided. I sat there with my eyes closed for a minute and I breathed deeply. I could feel the sun on my skin and I felt a rush of well-being. This was the break I needed. A chance to just sit and be calm. In that moment of calm, I found peace.
Soon it was time to go in and prepare for the next class. As I walked back to my classroom with my students, I started feeling nauseated again. As I nibbled on a handful of almonds and sipped mint tea, I was grateful for those thirty precious minutes of peace and calm free of nausea. I realized that I really needed that break in the fresh air.