Collapsing into October
Well, hey there!
What do you know? It’s October already.
I have plans for writing an amazing series of blog posts to meet this moment we are living in, but my body has conspired against me for the time being. Turns out that the low pressure system that is the remnants of Hurricane Ian (and another Atlantic storm) are messing with my fibromyalgia big-time.
What it means physically is that everything hurts, which is no fun. But it’s the mental effects that really get me: tiredness (sometimes coupled with an inability to sleep, because, apparently, fuck me, that’s why); fatigue, which isn’t quite the same as feeling tired, but is more like feeling you’re wrapped inside a lot of cotton batting—or maybe it’s itchy wool?—and it’s a bit hard to move around much, but also it’s exhausting; and, of course, brain fog, which is in many ways the worst symptom of all.
Brain fog is tricksy, because it thins and thickens, just like actual fog. It also causes you to lose your way, and to become so befuddled that you end up at a standstill. It was super well-described by journalist Ed Yong, who wrote “What Makes Brain Fog So Unforgiving” for The Atlantic.
All of which is to say that despite this being my very favorite season of the year, and me generally loving October, I’m not quite celebrating things just yet. But it IS October and my favorite season and that is still a thing of joy, even if I can’t be as actively joyful as I’d like. (Says Kelly, who is typing this post in her office on a dimmed screen while wearing sunglasses because even my eyes hurt just now.)
Strange but true, I expect to be completely fine by the end of this week, when I head to Savannah for a coaching seminar. (If I’m not better by then, I will simply roll with it, as one does.) Such is the case with conditions such as fibromyalgia, which can flare up out of nowhere, be profoundly awful, and then exit as quickly as they came. (No wonder some people have expressed distrust of them being “real,” I guess, though I see these flares as a clear reminder that they are entirely serious.)
Things I’m looking forward to this week:
One-on-one coaching with a favorite client.
Free group coaching with whoever shows up this Thursday. (Get on my email list if you are interested in checking it out!)
Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur services. Though I will not be fasting this year due to my current health situation, because there’s no sense in giving my health more to worry about. I love these services, which are all about acknowledging where we’ve sinned or fallen short, and about accepting grace and moving on.
My trip to Savannah this weekend, even though I’m a bit nervous about flying for the first time since 2019. I love Savannah, which is beautiful, and I’m staying at a beautiful hotel, going to an uplifting coaching conference called Finish Strong, and expecting to be inspired and probably a bit overwhelmed. Seriously: so many people. So much energy. It’s all good, but it’s also A LOT, y’know?
Tell me what it is you are looking forward to this week, even if it’s just “getting to Friday.” Are you going to a fall festival? Or taking a drive to look at changing leaves? Decorating for Halloween? I’d love to hear. Drop me a comment below!
