Update: Alive, Infected, and Happy

Greetings from the trenches of illness! Believe it or not, I'm feeling shockingly well considering all that my poor body is taking. About two weeks ago, my doctor took me off all antibiotics because my blood tests from the week showed that I had elevated liver enzymes, meaning my liver is damaged. Not surprising, given all the meds I'd been throwing at it. However, my blood test didn't show any improvement in my liver last week, which was concerning. They did further tests and found out that on top of the Lyme, I also have mono and strep. Apparently my immune system is so low right now that I should be wearing one of those assembly line medical masks. Not happening. Unfortunately, despite all the infection I apparently am harboring, we have to be super careful with antibiotics to get rid of even the strep because, again, my liver is already damaged. It's a cluster. Nonetheless, I actually feel pretty fine. In fact, I'm legitimately happy. It's true. I think a lot of my friends think that I'm secretly stuffing emotions deep within myself and will explode one day, but I really don't think so. I guess you don't know how you'll react in a situation until you find yourself there, but I'm pleased to report that I'm handling this with alarming peace.

As far as daily life, I've already got a low-key routine. I'm a firm believer in the distinction between conscious and thoughtless motivation, so I try to have a good balance of both. I've started calling this my "New Yoga Life" because of how chill it is. I've gone to yoga every single day except two; both were days I didn't leave my bed. I meditate often, and I always feel better when I do. I've been reading the book of Job on loop because it's so insightful. I tried out a few classes at the local community college, but I didn't like them enough to commit. (But I'm gonna get lunch with the advisor they gave me because we liked each other so much!) I also signed up for piano classes, so my album is still on schedule and projected to drop in the next few weeks. My dog is my new best friend, and I plan on dying him red, white, and blue this week. *Pics to follow* It's also been a blessing to be able to hang out with my real family this much. When I took my gap year a few years ago, the only time I cried out of homesickness was when I saw pictures of my brother, Christian, at prom. I felt like I was missing part of his upbringing. Even though I'm not out in the Filipino slum communities anymore, sometimes downtown Nashville feels just as far away. At least for this semester, I get to be a part of my brother, Jackson,'s freshman year of high school. Praise the Lord I'll never have to relive that year, but I'm happy to walk someone else through it.

Also on the subject of my family, my mom had a shoulder surgery a few weeks ago, and it was a huge pain. In a truly shockingly unfortunate turn of events, she recently fell on that shoulder and now may have to re-do the whole surgery. Mind you, this is the woman who went to college to become a professional ballerina. She doesn't fall. The Devil is seriously attacking us. Just to add, my dad fractured his rib the other day while being overly active. He's totally functional, so it's just more of an inconvenience than a true concern. All in all, we're just in an odd season of testing, but we still have so much for which to be thankful. My life is pretty great right now. I sleep a ton, eat so clean that I could be a woodland creature, and get to relax in a way that very few can. I'm praying I heal as quickly as possible, but I really hope I keep up some of my New Yoga Life even when it's all over.

Also, here's a hilarious video of me trying to teach my dad yoga. The poor man tried.