Recovery

23 JANUARY, 2025

This photo is a result of practicing low-light photography and having a packet of throat lozenges nearby because I have been dependent on those since getting sick before the new year. While I have mostly had my energy return, have been sleeping much better, and no longer feel achy, the process of weaning off of cough drops has been frustratingly slow. I hadn't been sick in four years before this illness (not counting pregnancy), and I definitely took every single day of health in between that time for granted. It sucked to feel awful and have to rest for days in a row, but in many ways the hardest part of being sick has been not having the lung capacity to spend much time outside in the cold, particularly taking photos of birds. I've managed a few minutes here & there, but I just want to camp out on my bench and not feel rushed to get back inside. I miss being able to breathe deeply without coughing, laugh without coughing, go a whole day - let alone a couple of hours - without coughing and needing the lozenges. So here's to recovering, even if it's taking time, and these marvelous little cough suppressants.