Hello, my friends! I am back, feeling semi-human and happy to be here. As I thought about the post this morning, I thought I might be so bold as to share a wonderful piece of advice my therapist shared with me once. She told me that I should show myself compassion. What do I do when my friend is sick, or a family member needs help? I offer to ease their burden in some way. I want them to feel better. Why, then, when I am feeling ill or anxious, do I not offer myself that same compassion? And you know what? I had never thought about that!
Being sick, even with a bad case of allergies, left me unable to be me. My schedule did not exist; I didn't pack lunches, make a menu plan, heck, I didn't even cook! I took pills, drank water, slept, and tried to not worry about everything I wasn't doing. And you know what? Things got done. Others cooked, unloaded the dishwasher, vacuumed, and picked up dinner. They reminded me that I could just be. They showed me compassion and reminded me to do the same for myself.
I thought about how when I was young and sick, my amazing mother would put me in the tub, change my bedsheets to crisp, clean ones, and tuck me in before reading to me. I thought about how when my own kids were sick, I gave them a bath with Baby Magic Calming Bath and then slathered them with lotion before putting fresh jammies on them. So today, I did the same for me. I soaked my feet, sprayed some eucalyptus shower spray, put on some spa music from my Spotify playlist, and took a long hot shower. I got out my special body scrub and oil and moisturized my skin. I took my time and took care of me. I'd like to finish by telling you I wrapped myself in a soft, fluffy robe, but that would be a lie. True to myself, I threw on my favorite old Halloweentown sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. What can I say?!
Hello! I'm still here! Just experiencing the worst allergy season I can remember. Sore throat when I swallow, cough, and congestion, (Not looking for sympathy...just in case you may have something similar.) The doctor said no fever and no swollen glands. No infection. The Flonaze he prescribed is helping, so there's that! Have a good weekend, my friends. I'll be back Monday morning!
Billie Jo
Good Monday morning! How was your weekend? I hope it was everything you hoped it would be. Our weekend was amazing, highlighted by two special events. Saturday, Rhett, Kyrstin, Flynn, Madison, Nicolas, and I traveled to Pittsburgh to see Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. And it was an experience of a lifetime. Madison is the biggest Taylor Swift fan ever, and I was so happy to be there with her. I wish I could find the words to describe it, but it isn't possible! Taylor Swift performed for three hours straight. She clearly loves what she does and is so happy to see her fans happy. Words cannot do justice to this unbelievable night. So I won't even try.
Hello! Good Friday morning! Today dawned cloudy and cooler, not unlike most days here in Pennsylvania so far this summer. Flynn took these photos early one morning this week, beautifully showing a typical June morning in our little part of the world.
