When I'm sick the one thing I cannot and will not do willingly is take a nap or lay around.

I hate the fact that I am weak when I am sick. So, I try to ignore the problem. Which, is never a good thing.

I attempt to do all that is in my power to trick my body into thinking it is not indeed weaker or suffering from germ attack.
This starts with the clever ploy of deceiving my mind. I get up in the morning and tell myself over+over again that my symptons have cleared up a bit and I'm feeling a little stronger. I keep this in mind as I start my daily routines. I ignore the cough, the way my bones all seem to cry out in agony, the pile of used tissues that only keeps growing, and the overwhelming sense of dizzyness when I move too quickly.

Instead of declining a day at the beach I go with the expectation of happiness at the end of the day.

Unfortunately, I have only mastered tricking my mind to a certain extent.
Thus, right now, I admit that I am in pain. And that I should not do crazy stunts like going to the beach and then going to a dinner party when I have just aqquired a sickness. I tried with futile attempts to tell myself I was feeling fine on the way home from the dinner party tonight. I tried to ignore the haziness that seemed to envelop my mind.
I felt like I was going to drive into a ditch on the way home.
I never want to feel that way again.

And so, like a "good girl" I'm going to go to bed and try my hardest not to pull anything too incredibly "sneaky" tomorrow. Because it all kind of crashes in on you at the end of the day.

"I feel like a crumbling crouton."

That nasty, vile, hateful thing known as a "cold" has reappeared in hideous form. It creeped into my body just last night and has begun to destroy me.

Funny how one moment I can feel perfectly wonderful and then in a few short seconds of time--BAM--I'm barely holding on.

This is Emily.

In contrast to the popular belief that the vast majority of online friends are "axe-murderes" I present my friend, Emily. She is not an axe-murder.

I had the opportunity to visit Emily this past week. I went so that I could attend her graduation banquet in VA.

Something I've begun to enjoy, is simply, experiencing new things. Having the chance to branch out and go for something [after much thought and making sure it is quiet safe, naturally].

Meeting Emily's family was interesting.

They were no longer words on a computer screen. They were there-- right in front of me. I'm glad I had the opportunity to visit.

Today I was ready to come home, though. I've yet to discover a place I like as much as my home.

I missed my family and I missed my friends.