I Croak…Like a Frog

Wow. I am so sorry it has been so long since I last updated. I had a very nice first week and a half at the new job and then one of my co-workers came down with bronchitis…and passed it right on to me. And mine turned into pneumonia AND I got an ear infection at the same time and I’ve basically spent the last six days in bed coughing and sputtering and just generally freaking out about the size of my glands,which have swollen to Michelin Man-sized proportions.

This is the first time in a week that I have been able to sit upright long enough to pound out a few words with my sweaty, shaky meathooks.

So please forgive me if it seems like I have abandoned this blog in its infancy. I just need a few more days to recuperate and then I’ll get back to writing.

I have to say that being sick has given me lots of time to contemplate God — and to be petulant and whiny about being sick. Seriously, phlegm? What gives, Lord?

 

Off the Pipe

So about a year ago I gave up caffeine. This was a big step for me. I had been a caffeine junkie for a long, long time. I was having some problems with anxiety and a few smart friends suggested that maybe the giant barrel of Diet Coke I was drinking every day was contributing to that. I listened and switched to drinking a giant barrel of caffeine-free Diet Coke every day and what a difference it made! My overall level of anxiety dropped quite a bit. I started drinking more water. My skin improved. I felt better. I slept better. I had more energy. It was difficult at first. I really felt sluggish in the afternoons there for a while but overall it was a pleasant experience. And I felt stronger in my walk with God because I gave up one of my addictions (I’m still working on the other ones. I’ll get there.)

Once in a blue moon I’ll have a cup of hot tea in the morning but otherwise it’s none for me, thanks.

That is until yesterday. I was visiting with my mother and she offered me some iced tea. Without really thinking about it I had two large glasses. This was at about 8 in the evening. Big mistake. Later as I was trying to fall asleep I felt some of that old anxiety creeping back and nearly had a minor panic attack. I couldn’t figure out why it was happening. I prayed and held on and it slowly went away. I was so confused. Why was I so anxious? Why were these horrible old feelings returning when everything was going relatively well?

It wasn’t until today that I put two and two together and realized it was the caffeine in the tea. It’s amazing how much of an effect it had on me. We are so used to it. It’s everywhere. And we forget (or at least I forgot) that it IS a drug and a pretty powerful one at that. This isn’t to scold anyone who likes their caffeine. There’s nothing wrong with it if you have it under control. But I wonder how many of us are addicted to it without realizing it?