Suaimhneas: Living Goddess

Illness strikes men when they are exposed to change.

Herodotus

After 16 days, just over two weeks, I’m back.

On Friday, January 5, 2024, I woke up feeling fine but by 11 a.m. I was congested and feeling very weak and befuddled. I left work by 11:30 and spent the rest of the day on the couch mindlessly drifting through television shows and sleep. I thought I would be okay by Monday if I rested for the weekend.

I was so unwell I took a whole week off work, which I don’t think I’ve ever done before for a flu/cold type illness. I took two weeks for surgery and recovery during 2017.

Last week I returned to work, although I really wasn’t recovered or feeling at all like myself. I struggled to focus enough to do the most basic tasks and slept 8-11 hours every night, which is way above my 5-7 hour normal scenario.

I feel like I went from feeling so fabulous and flying so high to a complete stop within a matter of hours. In my experience, this is just the way life cycles. One minute you’re flying and the next you’re in the valley and struggling to find a way out.

One of the main reasons why I have chosen to document this year of my life is because I want to improve my compass. I want to be able to navigate out of the valleys more quickly and find myself soaring even higher than I was before.

The month of January has been more valley than flight time. So far. I can take back the rest of this month and soar on into February. This morning I am feeling healthy and strong and excited to get back on track. I can start building momentum. I can jump in where I’m at right now.

This valley lasted only 16 days. It could have gone longer, even after I recovered I could have decided it was easier to idle without turning in, tuning in, and tapping on. I could have stretched my recovery to the end of the Janauary, through the short month of February and on into Spring. I have in the past.

Sixteen days for a legitimate illness that truly knocked me on my ass. I haven’t been outside my house at all. I haven’t visited my parents at all. I was truly unwell and on hold the entire time. I still have a little something something caught in my throat/chest, but that’s okay, because I am ready to start the engines, taxi to the runway and prepare for take-off. I am SOOOO ready!

How did my habits fare during my illness, you might want to know? Other than the teas and the daily matcha, they didn’t with any consistency. There were days with little food and days where vegetables ruled the kitchen. Days where I felt sorry for myself and days where I felt so grateful to still be breathing. It was hit and miss with absolutely no great activity or even movement. And that’s okay too. We had barely gotten started. The fact I sustained one daily habit throughout it all is cause for celebration.

Onwards and upwards!