An Evening Snapshot

I'm sitting/laying in bed. To my left is a grocery bag filled with used Kleenex and a box of fresh at the ready. On that same side, but a bit further down the bed are two opera scores, a Russian grammar book, and a notebook filled with verb conjugations to memorize.

To my right: Tylenol Cough & Cold (SO glad I stocked up when I went home!!!), Aleve, a Russian nasal spray that will probably completely and permanently destroy my sense of smell, highlighters, a red pencil and a pen, chocolate covered blueberries, earrings that I was too lazy to climb out of bed and put away, and Febreze "to go". Don't be fooled by the name...I am not going anywhere.

And this is my life.

Maybe this is your ideal. I, however, find a certain number of problems with this scenario:

• New Year's Resolution of "banning books and scores as sleeping companions." I have now effectively moved the entire contents of my apartment onto my bed and, for the time being, have no intention of removing them. So long resolution #1.
• The tea, water, and ginger apple cider that I've been living off of have to be kept on the floor to the left of the bed. That's a decent reach away! Unfortunately I haven't come up with an alternative that allows for beverages to be stored on the bed, so my suffering/workout continues.
• After spending all day yesterday in bed, I got up today determined to be healthy: curled my hair, did my makeup and put in earrings...just to prove who's really in charge of this body...and went to work. When I dragged myself back into my bed immediately upon arrival home, the only determination that remained was never to leave the house again.
• My unfolded laundry is staring me down, hanging on its drying rack at the foot of my bed. WHO in their right mind thought that was a good place to put it?! It's not in arm's reach, so it can't be dealt with, but it's mocking me all the same.
• This is the time of year when I am attempting to make professional life decisions. And all I want to do is never leave my bed again. Not helpful.
• Failure. It's what I'm feeling. I love my body and I really do try to take care of it. I run, do yoga, buy expensive green vegetables (spinach is pricy here!), try to drink a healthy amount of water, make my homemade herbal teas, and put my juice extractor to good use. So...where did I go wrong? Russia hates me or my body hates Russia, but this is Round 4 of "the plague" which normally visits once a winter and then goes merrily on its way. I seem to have failed my dear little immune system, but am lost as to what life changes to make in order to rectify said failure.

There are plenty of silver linings to be found: chocolate covered blueberries, ginger apple cider, fresh snowfall, the best blanket *EVER* which I decided to haul back to Russia the beginning of January, and plenty of easily-accessible medication (antibiotics are an over-the-counter item here). But, silver liners and all, I'd much prefer to just get rid of the clouds altogether.

Here's to another day in bed and summoning every last ounce of determination to be fully functional by Monday! Hope you're healthy and happy wherever you may be!