It is an ugly stormy morning. All night, the rain hit the windows and the trees smacked against each other. The dark gloomy skies and the bold blasts of thunder were enough to make anyone want to hide under their blanket.
It starts with a headache, then overall body aches. I feel it in my bones. A weird thing about having lupus that we tend to have built-in barometers. Many lupus patients say this. We can predict the weather before the weatherman can. True story! Our lupus symptoms begin flaring before weather events, even those in remission. To make matters worse, I also have fibromyalgia, which hates the rain as much as lupus.
This is a weird phenomenon to me. Still, it has merit. I have spoken to many fellow lupians that experience the same, strange, weather-related symptoms. Isn’t it intriguing that our bodies have signals unbeknownst to us? We are much more in-tune with our bodies than we know.
Looks like misery is here for me today. So, what to do? I can hide under the blanket and just sulk in my litany of aches and pains. So why do I choose this? Crazy, is it not?
Someone, please make me get out of this bed. I wish the phone would ring. Perhaps someone will come to the door? Maybe, I have something on my calendar that will force me to get up. I keep searching for a reason and nothing is coming my way to push me out from under the blanket and free me of my misery.
Darn it. I guess I will just lay here and tell myself how stupid I am for not getting up and going.
This is my reality. I know if I get up and get going, I will begin to feel better. I know that a great cup of hot tea and my medications will provide relief. I also know a nice warm shower will ease my aches and pains. If I get up and comb my hair, put makeup on, and be presentable, I will look better and feel better. Why is it I know this, yet stupidly I stay hidden under the blanket in lupus misery?
It is exhausting just thinking of reasons for how much better I will feel if I just get up. It is exhausting fighting off the aches and pains.
Oh no! It is a weekend. No one will nudge me to get up and going. I am doomed to stay under the blanket and be miserable all day. Dear Lord, rescue me!
Suddenly, a giant bolt of lightning lights up the entire sky, my bedroom windows shake, and the room fills with its light followed by fierce, incredibly loud thunder. It makes me jump out of the bed!
I think the house has been struck by lightning. My vanity comes to the surface of my brain. What if the police or firemen come and I look like a mess? I scramble to get dressed, comb my hair, and put on my “street face”.
God forbid I have to go to a hospital and look like this!
See how simple it was to get out of the bed? Purpose and vanity will do it every time. Oh yeah, thank you, Lord!