Best Birthday Ever
“I’ve become skilled at heeding the boundaries set by my activity monitor. This is the built-in system that alerts me when I am risking a flare-up of my symptoms because I have been too active or stressed. Now when the alarm goes off, as if on autopilot, I climb obediently into bed and take a rest until the pain subsides and my energy tank refills a little. The good news is I have learned to maximize my function and stability, (and) minimize my pain and fatigue…It’s true I am feeling quite competent, almost cocky, at illness management. But I just don’t feel like I’m much good at anything else. It’s time for me to take a step out of the box I’m living in, stretch my wings, crow a little, test those boundaries, see what more I can do. Who knows? Maybe I am better than I realize. Heck, maybe I got well and didn’t even notice it…
I have vastly exceeded my activity parameters, but my alarm completely failed to alert me. And as I remember, I had no pain, no fatigue, no brain fog. I was as energetic and active as anybody who was there! What happened? How did I do that? …
It seems that sick people, when completely engaged in a beloved activity, can sometimes temporarily transcend their symptoms. I don’t know how it works; perhaps a huge wash of pleasure endorphins overwhelms the illness, or maybe the mind is so completely engaged it briefly forgets about being sick…”
~Excerpts from Chapter 11 of You Don’t Look Sick
This chapter completely describes my weekend. Saturday was the Christmas dance, and I'm seaching for words to describe the day. Matthew came up early in the afternoon, and we decorated the tree. Yay for Christmas trees and decorating them. It makes me happy (despite the fact that he put the peacock on the front of the tree. What's up with that? He's supposed to be on my team!!), and makes it feel like my birthday. Things just don't seem right if the tree isn't up. Then we just goofed off and whiled away the afternoon. I kinda tried to teach him triple-step swing, but since I'm a lousy teacher, it didn't work so well. So we ended up just fun-dancing in the den. How awesome is that?!? Then, that evening, Mark and April came up from B-ham and the boys came back from Nashville, and everybody got all cleaned up (we all actually turn out pretty nice when we try). April and I took a little (read=a lot) longer than we should have getting ready due to girlie giggling. (April, my mommy says I am more girlie than she has ever seen me when I'm around you.) Then after hugs from our handsome gentlemen (all the guys looked fantastic), we all headed out to the NADC ball. The group was Mark and April, me and Matthew, Price, Wesley, Richard, Alex, Alison, my mommy, and Alex's mommy. Dinner and then we danced. And it was amazing. Line dances, furtively learning/teaching new dance moves by the table before trying them on the dance floor, completely screwing up dance moves on dance floor and then laughing, watching those who really know how to dance, dancing with Wesley, teaching Price to Salsa on the dance floor, watching my mommy learn to Rumba on the dance floor, waltzing with Matthew. Everything. Some of my favorite people in the world, doing one of my favorite activities, I couldn't ask for more (though I could have asked for no birthday singing at the dance). Then back to my house for pumpkin custard ('cause I have Mama Jo's recipe now. Mhahaha) and talking and laughing. And pictures (see facebook). And the stupid peacock is once again in all my birthday pictures. Was fantastic.
I felt great, and alive, and not sick the whole night. And loved. Price, Wesley, April, and Mark all had exams/papers/finals stuff on Monday, but came anyway. Price definitely lied to me. I'd told him earlier in the week not to come if it was going to be too stressful, but he assured me he'd be done with all the hard stuff by Friday. Liar. He 'forgot' to mention the massive number of papers he had due on Monday. And Wesley's just as bad. Then, Matthew, April, and Mark all had to head back to B-ham that night. The fact that any of them would make the drive at all blows my mind. I can't believe I am so blessed to have such amazing friends and family.
Then on Sunday, somehow I managed to push through church before I crashed. Oh my goodness, I'd forgotten how much I love a liturgical church. It's Advent (happy new year!!). We sang hymns. There's a Chrismon tree and Advent candles and symbols everywhere. And I got to sing in the choir again. They were singing a piece from previous years (it's actually one of my favorite Advent pieces we sing), so I knew it. I really miss singing in a choir. Honestly, I get so much more out of worship with hymns and anthems than I ever do with a praise band. There's so much more theology in hymns (well, most of them anyway) than in praise choruses, and I miss singing them. I crashed shortly after church. Don't even really remember how I got home. Spent the rest of the day (and most of the Monday) on couch. And watched Muppet Christmas Carol with the rat. Twice. It was fantastic. If one must be laid up on the couch on one's birthday, doing so while watching Muppets with the most awesome baby brother is the best way to do it.
It was the best birthday ever. Thank you all who made it so. Y'all are amazing, and I love you so.
I have vastly exceeded my activity parameters, but my alarm completely failed to alert me. And as I remember, I had no pain, no fatigue, no brain fog. I was as energetic and active as anybody who was there! What happened? How did I do that? …
It seems that sick people, when completely engaged in a beloved activity, can sometimes temporarily transcend their symptoms. I don’t know how it works; perhaps a huge wash of pleasure endorphins overwhelms the illness, or maybe the mind is so completely engaged it briefly forgets about being sick…”
~Excerpts from Chapter 11 of You Don’t Look Sick
This chapter completely describes my weekend. Saturday was the Christmas dance, and I'm seaching for words to describe the day. Matthew came up early in the afternoon, and we decorated the tree. Yay for Christmas trees and decorating them. It makes me happy (despite the fact that he put the peacock on the front of the tree. What's up with that? He's supposed to be on my team!!), and makes it feel like my birthday. Things just don't seem right if the tree isn't up. Then we just goofed off and whiled away the afternoon. I kinda tried to teach him triple-step swing, but since I'm a lousy teacher, it didn't work so well. So we ended up just fun-dancing in the den. How awesome is that?!? Then, that evening, Mark and April came up from B-ham and the boys came back from Nashville, and everybody got all cleaned up (we all actually turn out pretty nice when we try). April and I took a little (read=a lot) longer than we should have getting ready due to girlie giggling. (April, my mommy says I am more girlie than she has ever seen me when I'm around you.) Then after hugs from our handsome gentlemen (all the guys looked fantastic), we all headed out to the NADC ball. The group was Mark and April, me and Matthew, Price, Wesley, Richard, Alex, Alison, my mommy, and Alex's mommy. Dinner and then we danced. And it was amazing. Line dances, furtively learning/teaching new dance moves by the table before trying them on the dance floor, completely screwing up dance moves on dance floor and then laughing, watching those who really know how to dance, dancing with Wesley, teaching Price to Salsa on the dance floor, watching my mommy learn to Rumba on the dance floor, waltzing with Matthew. Everything. Some of my favorite people in the world, doing one of my favorite activities, I couldn't ask for more (though I could have asked for no birthday singing at the dance). Then back to my house for pumpkin custard ('cause I have Mama Jo's recipe now. Mhahaha) and talking and laughing. And pictures (see facebook). And the stupid peacock is once again in all my birthday pictures. Was fantastic.
I felt great, and alive, and not sick the whole night. And loved. Price, Wesley, April, and Mark all had exams/papers/finals stuff on Monday, but came anyway. Price definitely lied to me. I'd told him earlier in the week not to come if it was going to be too stressful, but he assured me he'd be done with all the hard stuff by Friday. Liar. He 'forgot' to mention the massive number of papers he had due on Monday. And Wesley's just as bad. Then, Matthew, April, and Mark all had to head back to B-ham that night. The fact that any of them would make the drive at all blows my mind. I can't believe I am so blessed to have such amazing friends and family.
Then on Sunday, somehow I managed to push through church before I crashed. Oh my goodness, I'd forgotten how much I love a liturgical church. It's Advent (happy new year!!). We sang hymns. There's a Chrismon tree and Advent candles and symbols everywhere. And I got to sing in the choir again. They were singing a piece from previous years (it's actually one of my favorite Advent pieces we sing), so I knew it. I really miss singing in a choir. Honestly, I get so much more out of worship with hymns and anthems than I ever do with a praise band. There's so much more theology in hymns (well, most of them anyway) than in praise choruses, and I miss singing them. I crashed shortly after church. Don't even really remember how I got home. Spent the rest of the day (and most of the Monday) on couch. And watched Muppet Christmas Carol with the rat. Twice. It was fantastic. If one must be laid up on the couch on one's birthday, doing so while watching Muppets with the most awesome baby brother is the best way to do it.
It was the best birthday ever. Thank you all who made it so. Y'all are amazing, and I love you so.