Sunday I took the last of my antibiotics and believed with my whole heart that this sinus/cough/yuck thing would disappear as I swallowed that pill. Kind of like how I believed that once I hit my 20s I'd never have acne again. (I do believe in faeries. I do. I do.) The sinus/cough/yuck thing diminished, but did not disappear and by Thursday all of that stuff that had been just hanging around inside my sinus cavities decided to come out my nose. In buckets. I went through a whole box of Kleenex in one day. And even though it was (still is) disgusting and my nose is so raw I put chapstick on it, I am thankful that this is happening. Because that means this sinus/cough/yuck thing is about to be gone. There was a time when I thought it was normal to be constantly plagued with a sinus infection. When I was a kid, it was tonsillitis until they had my tonsils removed. Then it was sinus infections. In college, I had a sinus infection every month. One time it got so bad that it drained into my eye and I got an eye infection. I was sickly. The day before we were to leave for Vegas to get married, I started getting a sore throat and running a fever. We were already under a lot of stress because the travel agent we'd been sending money to for months had completely messed up and booked nothing. The day before we were supposed to leave and we didn't know if we were actually going to get to leave. Chris poured me an unreasonable sized glass of orange juice and ordered me to drink ALL OF IT. Everything turned out OK. The bookings got fixed and I managed to keep the sinus infection at bay until we returned and Chris never ordered me to drink orange juice again. Illness was a way of life for me.

But then things changed. I learned how to manage my stress better. I committed myself to using my Neti pot every day. I changed my diet and stopped drinking milk. The sinus infections that plagued me constantly became a thing of the past. I might get one once a year now and they don't stick around as long. Every time I do get one, I'm reminded that this is how I used to live my life. And even though I don't like them (who likes being sick?) I am thankful for the reminder. I am thankful that I've learned something about managing my health and I'm thankful that for the most part I am healthy.

This week, I am thankful for hot tea, Kleenex and decongestant. I am thankful that this stuff is beginning to clear up. I am thankful for the short week and the opportunities to rest. And as always, I am thankful for you. Here's to wonderful weekend and a truly Thankful Friday.