this thanksgiving i'm thankful for valtrex
(And all of you. THANK YOU.)
Hi so I’m currently recovering from shingles. Shingles for those unfamiliar (and as defined by the mayo clinic) is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Shingles can occur anywhere on your body. It typically looks like a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left side or the right side of your torso. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus stays in your body for the rest of your life. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.
Thanks, Mayo.
But before I get into Shingles (everyone’s favorite holiday conversation topic!) I wanted to thank everyone for subscribing to the braid thus far, specifically those of you who so generously signed up for a paid subscription. Your support means SO MUCH — and seeing your subscriptions over the last few days, especially as I’ve been sort of paralyzed with what feels like a stabbing death grip across my neck/chest/shoulder, has felt extremely validating.
Because at first, in my head I was like, wait, is this a terrible idea? To start a new thing in the throes of a thousand other things? IS MY BODY REACTING TO THIS NEW THING THAT I HAVE NOW COMMITTED TO DOING?
Maybe! But also, I’m really fuckin pumped. I have my first special guest posting next week and her essay is incredible and I just feel really excited to be back. Writing in drafts again feels like home.
Besides. I am always, 100% of the time overdoing it. And you probably are, too! (I SEE YOU! I VALIDATE YOU! I WILL NOT GIVE YOU UNSOLICITED ADVICE TO SELF CARE BC ITS SO MUCH MORE NUANCED THAN THAT AND IF YOU DON’T KNOW THAN YOU DON’T KNOW BUT IYDYD!)
So this is fine. Painful and disgusting, yes, but fine. Luckily we live in a time where antivirals exist and vaccines if you’re eligible. And I am healing relatively quickly. Although it does feel like the kind of ailment one should seek out an apothecary for. And, like… leeches?
I do sort of accept, albeit reluctantly, that this is part of the thing. The life. The human experience. It isn’t our fault that we stress our systems. Discomfort happens. I’m pretty open to it at this point in my tenure as a human because it seems to always turn into something else eventually. Scabs and then scars and then skin.
All of this to say, to my fellow travelers, caretakers, college-applicant-supporters (dude), solo parents, single parents, happily married parents, non-parents, friends, people metabolizing grief during holiday season, and really anyone who is feeling overwhelmed right now, sick, lonely, exhausted, covered in sores…
I’m sending you love and solidarity and validation.
And so much gratitude for supporting the braid. <3