Tea began as medicine and morphed into a beverage of choice!
I don't quite remember when I fell in love with tea but I do remember the most 
Until recently I had never drank Peppermint Tea made with loose leaves. And Honestly, I will probably never go back. The freshness of loose Peppermint Tea cannot be denied. When I open the can of 
I love to read! Inside a book I escape into someone else's life. There is something wonderful about turning to the next page of a wonderful story. Something intoxicating about the smell of the book and the story it brings to life. Reading brings me joy, and these days with my health in the balance, I find solace in my books.
I was asked yesterday by a good friend how I was doing. I brushed him off. Then he paused and said very slowly, " No, how are you really?" I had to admit that I have taken some incredibly hard hits in all areas of my life these past few months.
My health took center stage and everything important to me was affected. Right before I got sick I invested financially into my bracelet business RLT Collection and haven't even been able to bead or add new items to the website or even promote my bracelets. So that investment is sitting, gathering dusk and bills still need to be paid. My Blogging and Social Media around HIV/AIDS has been muddling along and I've been trying my best to not let it all fall totally apart.
Yes, in these last months things have fallen apart and honestly some days it was all so overwhelming and I felt like my life was in shambles, just a freaking mess. #For Real!
But the other truth is, as things fall apart, things also remain the same. Over the years living with AIDS, I've had to come to terms with this idea that the glass is always half full. And let's be clear, I'll take half full any day over empty.
There is no hope in anything empty. It feeds no one, it nurtures no one, it adds no value to ones life. Empty is a permeant nothing. But when you can see something, it can become a gateway for more. Like when Jesus took the fish and fives loaves of bread and fed the multitude. I find it interesting, while Jesus was capable of making a miracle out of nothing, He chose to be resourceful. Maybe like Jesus, we should be a tad more resourceful. Look around and see what's before us before we give into the doom.
Its like we live in this world where nothing is really all that it seems. I can make a list of every bad thing in my life no matter how long the list and still have something good on the other side. That's how I'm choosing to see my life. While some things have fallen apart, I don't get stuck in the pieces. Pieces call be sharp and if you linger too long, you just may cause more damage than has already been done.
But the other truth is, as things fall apart, things also remain the same. Over the years living with AIDS, I've had to come to terms with this idea that the glass is always half full. And let's be clear, I'll take half full any day over empty.
There is no hope in anything empty. It feeds no one, it nurtures no one, it adds no value to ones life. Empty is a permeant nothing. But when you can see something, it can become a gateway for more. Like when Jesus took the fish and fives loaves of bread and fed the multitude. I find it interesting, while Jesus was capable of making a miracle out of nothing, He chose to be resourceful. Maybe like Jesus, we should be a tad more resourceful. Look around and see what's before us before we give into the doom.
That is certainly what I've tried to do in these past months; Not allow the darkness and ugly parts of my life to consume me. Yes, it's hard, but it must be done. Otherwise there may be more collateral damage.
Lets take my life in a nutshell. I've woken every single morning in some type of physical pain in the last three months. The genital Herpes was no joke, but then Herpes attacked my nervous system and I had nerve pain it seemed everywhere, head, face, back, legs and even between my legs. Finally, after a total of 13 long weeks of anti-viral medication, administered intravenously, I am healed from both. This was the last week of IV med's. #HappyDance
Yes, I am one happy camper. But then during this entire process, a new medical condition was added. That's how AIDS works, it just hits and hits and hits. I also have an extreme case of peripheral neuropathy; My hands and feet hurt. Walking is very painful and using my hands is not only painful, there are some things I can barley do, like opening a bottle of water.
So right now I have two choices, I can dwell on the fact that I am still in some kind of pain, or I can celebrate that both the original pain caused by the herpes and the aggressive treatment that I had to undergo to heal me are gone. In this situation, the glass can be either half full or half empty and only I can make that decision. But for sure, whatever I choose to see, will determine my state of mind.
I believe that life is a dichotomy, two mutually exclusive and contradictory parts, but how you choose to view it will determine your peace of mind and your happiness. Some situations in your life cannot be avoided; It is what it is. But how you journey through it, I believe is the most important part.
For me, even when some things are falling apart, I know that some things are remaining the same. I know that while some things are bad in my life, there are also some good things in my life. I know, as long as I can see that goodness, there is hope for my future. Like Jesus, I will use what's before me as a catalyst for more, no matter how small it may be
Lets take my life in a nutshell. I've woken every single morning in some type of physical pain in the last three months. The genital Herpes was no joke, but then Herpes attacked my nervous system and I had nerve pain it seemed everywhere, head, face, back, legs and even between my legs. Finally, after a total of 13 long weeks of anti-viral medication, administered intravenously, I am healed from both. This was the last week of IV med's. #HappyDance
So right now I have two choices, I can dwell on the fact that I am still in some kind of pain, or I can celebrate that both the original pain caused by the herpes and the aggressive treatment that I had to undergo to heal me are gone. In this situation, the glass can be either half full or half empty and only I can make that decision. But for sure, whatever I choose to see, will determine my state of mind.
I believe that life is a dichotomy, two mutually exclusive and contradictory parts, but how you choose to view it will determine your peace of mind and your happiness. Some situations in your life cannot be avoided; It is what it is. But how you journey through it, I believe is the most important part.
For me, even when some things are falling apart, I know that some things are remaining the same. I know that while some things are bad in my life, there are also some good things in my life. I know, as long as I can see that goodness, there is hope for my future. Like Jesus, I will use what's before me as a catalyst for more, no matter how small it may be
