The Enemy Within

When I tell y’all I was obsessed with this grasshopper. Look at his little leg! Now, if he would have brought his ass into the building, it would have been a different story. Lol

I have seen a lot of posts (I’m sure I am exaggerating), saying that our bodies are not the enemy. That we need to work with our bodies not against it. I don’t understand what that means. I think about my body and how it is currently working. If I went along with my body, I would be sleeping 12 – 16 hours each day and spending the other part laying around watching TV or scrolling on my phone. I go to sleep tired, I wake up tired, and I spend every minute of my day tired. I never feel rested or energized. I would eat take out for every meal because I don’t have the energy to cook. And I would definitely have a live-in housekeeper 😆. Before I was diagnosed with MS I didn’t like to clean, I sure as hell don’t want to use my limited energy to do it now. Eww!

I think about the morning when my leg gave out and how I had to get up off the floor. I didn’t hurt myself. The fall was slow therefore I could control it, but I couldn’t stop it. Now, I am on the floor and I have to strategize to get up off of it. First, I have to find something to leverage myself against to push up off the floor. I put one hand on the bed and the other hand on the nightstand. I pushed up, but my feet kept sliding on the carpet and I couldn’t get them up under me. Back down I go. This is why I say the carpet is the devil. It doesn’t have my best interest at heart. So now I’m like, let me try another area. I put one hand on the bed again and the other hand on my walker. The walker is iffy because though it has locks on it, it doesn’t lock 🤦🏾‍♀️. Don’t ask, I don’t know what its problem is. I push up again and my feet keep sliding on the carpet, but I am almost up and I am determined that this is it. I grab the footboard on my bed to keep me where I am while I try to figure out this sliding issue. So, I am half on the bed fighting to keep from going back down. I say to myself, “No, I am not going back down. I am getting the fuck up off this floor.” I take a breath and push all the way up. It is shaky, but I did it. I won!!!

So what do they mean? I feel like I’m in a fight with my body everyday. We are not friends. My body is not trying to work with me, so how can I work with it? I am not sure if I should call my body the enemy, but kinda. It is attacking itself after all. It sees itself as the enemy. And here I am trying to tell it how to behave. It is like a teenager that thinks they grown, but doesn’t know shit. We all know, you can’t tell teenagers nothing! So, when I make my body do something it doesn’t want to, I feel like I won. I’m not keep score though. If I did, I am sure I’m losing 😂.

So what do they mean? I don’t know. I probably should ask someone. Maybe they have some sound advice. Maybe, I am just like the teenagers and don’t listen to shit either. I guess until I find the piece of advice that fits me and my situation, I will keep focusing on winning the battles, if not the war. Keep fighting! Stay well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚

Hawaii

Months ago, in June, I hopped on a plane in Detroit, had a layover in LA, and ended up in Kona, HI. We went to celebrate the day of birth for this lady here who turned 70.

Rochelle aka Mama aka Grams aka Granny bka Linda(she never listens)

It was an amazing trip with great people. I was the unofficial travel agent. I went on Groupon (I totally forgot Groupon existed before this trip) and found some reasonable priced excursions. I scheduled flights to and from one of the other islands. I booked hotel rooms for our stay on the other island. I think I did a damn good job, but I don’t want to do it again 😂. I’ll leave it to the professionals. I realized I didn’t really share any pics. Here is a photo dump of Rochelle’s 70th Birthday trip.

I hope that one day I am rich enough to make sure this lady wants for nothing. Until that day, I will do all that I can to love and support her, even though she doesn’t listen. Y’all know it is hard parenting parents 😂. Stay sane and be well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚

I Am Not Okay

Bonfire at neighborhood Labor Day party. So much fun!

Yesterday, I almost had a breakdown because I couldn’t find a Clorox Handi-Wipe to wash my dishes. I know, it wasn’t that serious. Yet, it was. It was just another thing on top of the other things that happens day to day. Y’all know the saying, “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back”. It was in that moment that I realized, I am not okay. Ughhhh, fuck!

I look at my life and I think that I have it good. I make enough money to take care of myself, I go on trips, and I put gas in my car. I have great friends. I am close to my family. I live in a good neighborhood. On the outside looking in and on the inside looking out, this works. So what’s the problem? The problem is I do not allow myself to feel. I think about all the little shit that has been happening and how I just suck it up and keep it moving. I don’t let it get to me. Yet, it is getting to me. I’m just pushing it down like a jack in the box. Then, one Saturday morning, it pops out.

To be clear, I am okay, but there are times when I am not. Instead of stuffing it down, I need to take the time to feel what I am feeling. Whether it is anger, frustration, disappointment, hopelessness. I am not saying turn into a brat and throw a fit about every little thing that happens. I am saying, when I am frustrated about dropping multiple things, feeling hopeless about the state of the world, mad about another police brutality, and I have to pause and pull it together, I need to sit in that emotion instead. I have to allow myself to feel it and release it. Then, I won’t look or feel crazy for blowing up about a dish towel.

Well, this is my resolution for said event. I am unsure if it is the right solution. I don’t know the protocol for feeling your feelings. How do you normal, emotionally regulated people deal? I am not above suggestions. I am still growing and learning, and boy do I have a lot to learn. Happy Sunday 🌞. Be well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚