Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Jovial

This month a doctor discovered that my body isn't producing the folic acid my cells need to keep a-runnin' smoothly. So she prescribed large daily doses of live folate, with the hope that my cells will begin functioning normally and be able to more quickly and efficiently repair the bodily systems the Epstein Barr virus affected three years ago.

I've been faithfully taking the live folate for a week and half now, and praying that it will facilitate continued healing. I've been expecting that, if works, I'll have sustained energy, clear thinking, a stronger immune system, and happy organs and glands.

What I didn't expect was the accompanying laughter.

It's no secret that I have a habit of talking aloud to myself. I'm a verbal processor, and I've spent years watching my dad talk aloud to himself. Between nature and nurture I didn't stand a chance at being a non-talker-to-myself-alouder.

As a result of the last few years' illness, I've added "laughing aloud by myself to myself" to my list of quirks. That's what happens when you're too sick to have much contact with friends. You just become your own friend.

It's been a tough few years, though, and so I definitely did a lot more talking to myself than laughing to myself. And when I did laugh, it was the shallow kind. You know, the kind that comes from your chest, not your belly.

And then I started taking live folate.

And suddenly I'm laughing fit to kill — we're talking deep, gut-wrenching laughter – a couple of times a day. By myself. In my studio. With the windows open. Let's just hope the neighbors assume I have company.

Thank goodness I've been doing a lot of working from home this week, lest I scare the sweet, innocent little boys and girls who are out and about. It's just an imaginary friend, kids. He's really funny, and makes me laugh a lot. His name is Live Folate.

Now I can't be sure that the live folate is to thank for the recent, deepest belly laughs. Alone. In my room.

Side note: Every time I say or write "in my room" I feel I must add,

"Chancho. When you are a man, sometimes you wear stretchy pants in your room. It's for fun."

(Name that amazing, totally awesome, most-fun-to-quote movie).

There are lots of other things that could be contributing to my regular belly laughs this week. But I think it's that my cells are happy. Because if there's one thing I've learned, it's that when your body's broken you don't feel like yourself. And since I've felt more emotionally myself this week than I have since before the illness, I'm guessing it's thanks to some happy cells working their healing magic.

Thank you, Live Folate, for such a jovial week. It's been an unexpected and lovely treat.

-SJ




© by scj

10 comments:

  1. Uh... Nacho Libre? It's been awhile...

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    Replies
    1. Bingo! Your prize is another Nacho quote, for your reading pleasure:

      "Beneath the clothes, we find a man... and beneath the man, we find his... nucleus."

      My littlest brother does an amazing reenactment of this, in case you're wondering.

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  2. You had me at jovial. (There are only so many acrostic-worthy adjectives a girl with a "J" name can come up with.)

    P.S. I need to borrow some sweats.
    P.P.S. I love your laugh.

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    1. Jovial and Julianna go swell together!

      P.S. Remember when the crowd was cheering my name and I used my strength to rip my blouse?
      P.P.S. Thank you.:) "My life is good. Real good."

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  3. Take it from Uncle Albert....

    I love to laugh
    Loud and long and clear
    I love to laugh
    It's getting worse ev'ry year

    The more I laugh
    The more I fill with glee
    And the more the glee
    The more I'm a merrier me
    It's embarrassing!
    The more I'm a merrier me!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOMqqI-kzHY

    ~Sharon

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    1. Sharon! Uncle Albert is as much an authority on silliness as Nacho Libre, that's for sure. And an even greater authority on laughter. His song will be my get-ready-for-bed music. :)

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  4. Hello, my cousin! I have some medical info for you about that folate stuffs that you may be interested in. Email me at: sharalyns @ yahoo dot com so I can send it to you privately. :-)

    We're working on the same things here and there is a *lot* of really great info that we've found recently that have been helping.

    Love the laughter! I need to work on more of that.

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    1. And I love Mystery Men for a good laugh. :-)

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    2. Thank you, cousin! Emailed you this morning. Looking forward to getting your inside scoop. :)

      I'm not familiar with mystery men! I'll have to check it out.

      And as for the laughter, well, Nacho is your man.

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  5. Oh, want to make a trip up to Port Orchard sometime? We can go watch it at our theater on the big screen!

    "Who would want to rent a chicken?"

    "I don't need a compass to know which way the wind shines."

    :-)

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