Things I Never Do

1. I never get sick. In fact, I believe that saying "I never get sick", might be the main reason I never do. I think with a lot of illnesses, it's a case of mind over matter. And I'm actually putting in the time right now to fortify that belief for the day I really get sick with a fatal disease: Mind over matter. I never get sick! Of course, I say this as I sit here with a temperature over 100 and my body feels the way you feel when you have been strapped into a wheelchair and pushed down a flight of stairs. How did this happen? I still went to work yesterday, still drove a car, went to the bank and had an hour long combative texting exchange with an old boyfriend. I'm fine. I'm good. No prob. (Here's me on the left) After I went to the bank, I walked by this Chinese combination gift shop/herb apothocary/chicken shack and slowed to look through the window. I don't like going to doctors, but for some reason I am fully able to believe in any form of Asian/African/Creole witch doctor/herbalist standing on the street with a cardboard box and a jar filled with twigs and pebbles. How could I not? They've been around for centuries! I went into the store, explained how I was feeling and bought some thick brown tar/syrup for 5 bucks. Done. I felt better already. As soon as I got back to work though, my head was spinning and I had to cover one eye to keep from seeing double.

 2. I never go to yoga. I have nothing against it; in fact I wish I did go, but I just don't. Yoga is like herbal tea for me, I like the idea of it, but it just requires me to turn down my inner volume too much to be consistent about it. I have to clear my head and open my heart and be accepting and I just can't do that every day. Still, again as with tea, I am drawn to it when I'm starting to feel sick and my resistance is low. So on Sunday when I started to feel some congestion in my chest, I had the idea that going to a Bikram yoga class, where the room is 105 degrees, was something I needed to do. That I could sweat all the germs out of my body.

Okay, cut! Cut! Hold it for a second, Deird?
What, I'm talking.
You know that germs and bacteria multiply in heat.
Y-yyes?
That's why hospitals keep the temperatures low.
Mmmhmm, yeah.
Okay, good, carry on.

So. You know, I'd like to say I did feel great at first. I sweat so much that the towel I was lying on felt like it had been soaking in a tub. Liquid was pouring out of me (does that sound weird?) and I felt a relief. At first. But by Sunday night, again, I felt like this.

To be continued....