So here I am sipping my ginger, honey and lemon tea. It beats the rather pungent garlic and cayenne pepper concoction I also drink when I have a virus. There’s also been zinc, Vitamin C, oil of oregano, codeine cough syrup, regular cough syrup, Vicks VapoRub (my personal favourite), echinacea and Cold-FX.

Oh yeah, it’s been pretty much non-stop OTC and home remedies for the last 3 weeks.

I’m still not feeling all that terrific. The the cold from hell — or maybe it was the flu — is mostly gone, except I still feel weak and I am still coughing…and coughing.

And damn it if I am not sick and tired of it. I have been neglecting some of my responsibilities and moping around for what seems like forever. And heaven help me, I still have to buy one Christmas present on my list. Two are in my closet, but have yet to be wrapped up. This is not like me, but I am just so tired.

I need to remind myself that it’s just a cold.  A pain in the ass terrible cold for sure, but it’s not the pits of a fiery hell. And even as I sneeze and cough my way through my days and nights, I realize that I am damn lucky.

Damn lucky to have love in my life. Damn lucky to have great friends. Damn lucky to have my health. So damn lucky in so many ways.

I am so very lucky — even if I do seem more crabby than usual…sorry about that.

I am truly grateful and I am going try to remember that the next time I can’t get the Vicks out of my sheets.

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but there are a few things I hope (note: hope not plan) to address in 2013.

1. First off — full admission — I am typing this in 16 point type on my computer. It’s time to admit I have middle-aged eyes and I just can’t read things very easily anymore. It’s getting a bit annoying – and some people I spend happy and productive times with daily are talking about how I need to print things out in giant type to proofread them. It’s a fact: I need reading glasses and this may well be the year I give in.
2. Long-time readers – really long-time ones — will know I sometimes (joyfully and with abandon) eat things that don’t agree with me. I am much, much better than I was in 2006, but I still sometimes indulge in things I am fully aware could result in pain. (The “could” is relevant here…sometimes I am fine, so I’m always optimistically scarfing down spicy and delicious things in hopes that today will be a good day.)But 2013 brings a host of new things I must avoid…things that come from cows. No, thank goodness, it’s not leather. It’s that other marvellous cow product – milk in all its forms. Yes, now milk is on the list of things that make your correspondent feel unwell. But this time, it’s not hit or miss. No, milk products are off the table unless I take those delightful little lactase pills – and even those don’t work all the time. The good news is almond milk is pretty tasty – much better than that soy stuff. And I have been advised they make lactose-free cream. I am still looking for it, but the fact that it exits alone is keeping me going.
3. Fashion. I need more variety in my wardrobe. I certainly don’t need more clothing. I’ve got five blue shirts and 4 black sweaters to help illustrate the root of the problem. I need some more interesting tops….the trouble is, when I stray from my tired and true types of outfits, I tend to buy things that are – well – a bit too flashy or busy. So I play it safe. But safe is boring. I need some sartorial action!
4. Love. I have a lot of love in my life. I don’t plan on changing anything about that. In fact, I seem to be getting more demonstrative as I get older. 2013 might bring more hugging  I doubt it, but I have been know to surprise myself and others!