As you might have noticed, either from the dearth of posts this week or from my post yesterday, I have been under the weather most of the week which, in and of itself is unusual.  Typically, if I get the flu at all, it lasts exactly 24 hours, then it’s gone.  But not this time!  I was down for the better part of the week.

I’m happy to report that this morning, I feel like a New Woman, thanks in part to lots of rest, and the expert nursing of my kitties.  While knocking a couple of things off of my sadly neglected To Do list this morning, I realized that feeling better has definite “warning” signs, so I thought I’d share mine.

7 Signs that you’re returning to your normal, healthy self

1. You have a sudden urge to complete a week’s worth of chores. 
       Last night, I filled and ran the dishwasher.  This, alone, filled me with a bizarre kind of delight when I was able to pull a clean spoon from the dishwasher after realizing that the slot in the drawer was bare.  Later in the day, I unloaded the dishwasher and cleaned up the morning’s dishes while talking to my daughter on the phone.  I am, after all, a champion multi-tasker.
      This morning, I finally put away a comforter which had been sitting in a laundry basket next to my bedroom door all week, and the bin on my closet shelf which is normally a bear to get in and out was extraordinarily cooperative!
     Most bizarre of all was my sudden, insane desire to do laundry.  
2. You find yourself adding things to your To Do list which will have you devoting more time each day to your new career.
     I found myself immersed in a complimentary copy of The Barefoot Writer, so much that I logged on and subscribed for a year.
     After subscribing, I added an item to my To Do list requiring me to read at least two articles a day (and as my life is so loose, that includes weekends!)
    I also added another item which will help propel me forward with the copywriting aspect of my career.
3. You actually tick a couple of those new items off of your To Do list.
    Not only did I spend two hours or so editing the next chapter in my book, and adding over 1700 words, I also started this blog post and did some research on a couple of things I wanted to include, and techniques I wanted to try.
4. You realize that your failure to eat is no longer due to lack of appetite, but from being engrossed in the day’s activities.
5. You can’t wait to return to regular activities.
    In my case, the top of that list is, of course, dancing.  But I also did some squats and stretches and have already planned out most of Monday, beginning with a trip to the gym.
6. The only thing which keeps you from starting to get ready to go out in the evening way earlier than necessary is sharing your day with your daughter in a two hour telephone conversation.
7. As the day winds down, your realize that you were too wound up to do your regular, daily meditation which you didn’t even forget when you were sick!

As I look back over this list, I realize that some of the items make me look like a bit of an overachiever, which I am not.  What I am is a woman who left her job six months ago to follow her dream, but allowed a lot of things to distract her for awhile.  It seems that getting sick for so many consecutive days and being unable to focus on anything productive brought home to me the fact that if I truly want to follow my passion, my dream, I need to devote my time, my life and my attention to those things which keep me on the right path. 

I don’t know why I allowed myself to lose focus, but my guides, using the rather drastic measures of incredibly vivid and disturbing dreams combined with a complete lack of energy to do anything for more than 20 minutes or so, made sure that I am now totally aware of what I was doing.  The whys don’t even matter, any more than the hows of achieving my goals.  All I need to know for the moment is that I must write.  And when I’m not writing or attending to my health or household chores (and yes, I consider dancing and trips to the gym, attending to my health!), I must study and research and read and learn. 

I can’t think of a better, more satisfying way to live my dream.  Can you?

My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful to be almost completely healthy again.
2. I am grateful for an amazing, wonderful, high energy night of dancing with my friends.
3. I am grateful for my guides who help me get back on the path to what makes me happy, and will, ultimately, allow me to give back.
4. I am grateful for those times when I lose my way because they make me appreciate the road back even more.
5. I am grateful for all of the abundance in my life.
6. (again, a bonus) I am grateful for my healthy, happy, loving, affectionate, devoted kitties who keep me company, demand my attention, make me feel loved and needed, and love me unconditionally.

Love and light.