It has been amazing how good I've been feeling each day, after having been so sick. I'm still coughing, of course, but my energy level has been better than it's been for a long time. While I've considered the possibility that it is due to the contrast between feeling so sick and then not feeling sick, I actually think it is probably due to making a concerted effort to get enough rest so that I don't relapse.

Of course, that being said, I pulled pretty much an all-nighter a day or so ago to get a commitment done, and now I find I'm back in the "just a few hours short of sleep each night"-mode... AND I find that my energy level has dropped back down to mediocre.

So the challenge now is, since I know how AMAZING it felt to have had a full night's sleep, can I finally get back into the habit of GOING TO BED ON TIME ?!?!?!?!?

You don't appreciate just how good it feels to be alive and feeling normal until you've gone through a spell where you don't. Saturday I was seriously wondering how I would get through the week, since this flu had hit The Girl and Sister #2 so hard. Yesterday, I was starting to feel more normal and my temp dropped back down to where it is supposed to be. Today I actually feel alive again.

To some degree, I'm grateful for my morning coffee that gave me a little push each morning. I'm also grateful for the essential oils that I put into a mug of boiling water and sniffed three times a day (rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus and peppermint; later I added thyme and tea tree to the mix). Add my echinacea tea and throat lozenges to lots of bed rest, and something did the trick.

Now, hopefully, I won't come down with a rebound bout.

I was hoping to escape the worst of this current bug, but I succumbed yesterday evening. Rather than staying in my sinuses like it has for Mom and other family members, it's moved directly to my chest. Another friend has found she has phenumonia, so I'm going to take this seriously and rest. For the weekend, at least. I've got some commitments next week that it would be unfortunate to have to break...

Seems like there's something going round, a sore throat / chest thing that may be hard to shake. Sister #2 came down with it abruptly on Sunday, and The Girl has been trying to throw it off for two days now, as well. I used my sore throat as a rationale for having a down day yesterday. Here's hoping it doesn't last.