I made a mistake.

I spent a glorious day with friends and family and paid no attention to my spoons. It was magical, it was delightful, it was a great day. I’ve been paying for it ever since.

Much like the hangover day after a night of enthusiastic drinking the days following a spoon spending frenzy are hard. My head pounds with demanding intensity leaving me spent and miserable in bed. Light hurts, sound hurts, thoughts hurt. I am rendered useless by my agony.

The second day after feels like having the flu. I’m shaky, low energy, easily tired, and sore.

The third day I start to feel better again, more like the moderately pained me and less like someone who has crawled under a rock to die.

Today is the third day. Today I have had to remind myself to keep those spoons close and save them for the whole day.

I loved my day ‘off’. I took a friend to the airport, went ice skating with a bestie and our kids, cooked dinner and baked a cake, and played games with friends into the evening. I felt pretty good, the distractions pushing back the headache and keeping it outside my immediate attention. I felt nearly like a normal person again.

I wish I could have more normal days like those without the follow up low energy days. Someday perhaps I will.