Meanwhile....

I try to stay in the habit of writing here, but it gets hard sometimes. I don't want to feel like all I'm doing is complaining, but sometimes it feels like I don't have much in my life but recovery. I read, I play arts and crafts, I ache and I heal.... and that's about it.

I get better, I backslide. I start working out again, I get bronchitis. The hardest and most important thing to remember is that my bad days today are still better than my bad days a month ago. And that my idea of 'lazy, do-nothing, useless time' includes things like 'crocheting an entire stuffed pegasus and baking 520 mini tarts,' which is a bit more than nothing.

I am impatient as hell for the time when things get warm and green and I'm able to go outside and walk and run again. That said, I *am* slowly recovering, and the more active I am, the less pain I'm in. Bronchitis has slowed down my return to activity again, but I *will* get there.

Intercon was amazing; I didn't realize how much my social isolation was hurting me until I was there, surrounded by people and noise and costumes and conversation, and it felt like finally remembering how to breathe. Being on my feet and moving around was surprisingly much less strenuous than I had feared, and I even managed to dance at least a little, without feeling any the worse for wear the next day.

And now... I'm home, and recovering, and planning a trial half-day at work tomorrow. I went to my first cake decorating class yesterday. I'm making plans with friends, slowly but surely. The days are getting longer.

I'm tired of healing and hurting.... but I am more stubborn than my pain, and I can do this.

Shameless Vanity

So while I'm on the subject of arts, crafts, and Intercon, I'm going to be self-indulgent and share the photographic evidence of what I've been doing with my downtime (admittedly, in one case with a great deal of help)....

( Pictures, hidden for those who aren't interested )