Only four days later than anticipated, I was able to DO THINGS today. Real things, that have real world value! I stood up long enough to do dishes, even though it took me four runs at it. (Granted, I made more during the day, so that extended my totals.) I knew that we had the remnants of a rotisserie chicken in the fridge, and I pulled out the Instant Pot for the first time this summer, and made a rich broth out of it. I had to sit on a bar stool to completely clean the bones and undesirable pieces out of it, but I persevered. Carrots, celery, onion, brown rice, and Vegeta (Croatian seasoning that our exchange student left us) later, and I had an amazing soup. Considering just two days ago I was still so weak I could barely pitch a frozen pizza in the oven on my own, this makes me so proud. If I am careful, I could have about ten days of being a normal person, before this crap starts all over again.
I'm sure it helped significantly that the house was in good shape from yesterday's Cleaning for a Reason visit. There weren't many dishes to take care of, and the counter was already mostly clear for me to chop veggies and pick the chicken carcass. I wasn't stressed out about having to put a bunch of junk away, either before cooking or in general. It has just occurred to me that I even made my bed this morning. (I've been sitting on it a while, but I hadn't noticed I handled that detail.) At the end of the evening, after the sun went down and the heat broke, I had two whole spoons left, one to fold my laundry as it came out of the dryer, and one to carry the stack into my dressing room.
I haven't been willing to leave the house for two weeks. And by that, I mean the farthest out I've gone is just beyond the front door, when Jackie ran out on the porch, while I was chatting through the open door with the Man as he watered flowers out front. (I wasn't wearing a hat or clean clothes at that moment, and I didn't want to go running out very far in view of our busy street. Thank goodness she gave up easy.) This afternoon, I walked around the back yard in the sun for the first time this cycle, collecting raspberries to go over a scoop of ice cream. This made me happy. My standards for success are so low now. But for all that "normal" people could scoff at my personal victories, I don't care. I know where I've come from, just four or five days ago. I know how rough it could be next time around. I'm giving myself all the credit for getting up and moving today. My next goal: leaving the property altogether. I plan on attempting it as early as tomorrow.
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