Baby steps

I just wrote this to a friend who reached out after my last post: "I think the big thing is to just start writing, even a little bit, every day. And go from there, I guess?" So even if it's just a tiny thing, here is my little bit for today.

I'm back from a whirlwind, exhausting trip around the Mediterranean. It should tell you something when your fitness tracker's weekly step total doubles when you're "on holiday".

And I'm sick with some kind of stomach thing. In the past five months I've vomited more frequently than in the last two years. This isn't a reflection on the quality of the food so much as on the lack of control one has over one's food when traveling and eating out a lot. Some of those things I *knew* didn't sit right. Some of them I sort of expected to come back and haunt me but I didn't have better options.
Not this time though, and this was new (and I'll cut it for those of you who don't want to know):

 Went to bed with a bit of a stomach ache, woke up about 5 am with a heavy feeling and some pain, threw up violently (which is SUPER unusual for me), mopped my face, brushed my teeth two or three times, and went back to bed. Stomach pain continues. Doze fitfully until 7ish, wake up and rush to the toilet, and while still sitting on it have the urge to throw up again. Barely make it. Sit back down and continue the original thing. Cry.  I'm told this is a classic example of the "swapping ends" maneuver. Back to bed, doze fitfully for another hour until my partner has to get up for work. In our pre-morning snuggle routine I realize I'm freezing cold and attempt to suck up all of his space-heatery warmth.  Wake up again before he heads off and drink two pints of water. Doze. Shower. Doze. Internet. Continue evacuating. Doze. Have some very plain crackers and some very plain cheese.

Here's to hoping that's done with now.